Protective shields for standard cosmetic containers

ABSTRACT

A protected cosmetic container includes a base and a lid removably associated with the base to obtain closed and open positions. The lid and/or base include an interior face and an exterior face connected to the interior face to define a cavity supplied with a shock absorbing body of material and/or a thermally resistant insulant. The lid and/or base may alternatively be made entirely or substantially entirely as a body of non-cellular shock absorbing material and/or a body of thermally resistant insulant, or may be constructed as a shock absorbing material and/or a thermally resistant insulant encased between interior and exterior faces. The protective shield includes a shield lid and a shield base having recesses therein for mounting the lid and base, respectively, of an industry-standard cosmetic container, with at least one of the shield lid or shield base being deformable and/or thermally resistant.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to cosmetic containers and, moreparticularly, to protected cosmetic containers having shock absorptionto protect against damage from shocks and/or having thermal resistanceto protect against the effects of heat and to protective shields forstandard cosmetic containers.

2. Description of the Related Art

Hinged cosmetic containers such as compacts are commonly used to holdvarious cosmetics or make-up including face powder, blush, eye shadow,lip color, and the like. Indeed, virtually every type of make-up can beprovided in a form suitable for being contained in a cosmetic compact.It is also typical for a cosmetic compact to hold accessories, such asvarious applicators for the cosmetics contained therein and/or mirrors.Cosmetic compacts allow one or more cosmetics in quantities sufficientfor multiple applications to be conveniently stored and/or transported,particularly in receptacles such as cosmetic carriers, handbags orpurses, for access and use on demand. Accordingly, cosmetic compacts arevery prevalent and highly popular.

Conventional cosmetic compacts typically include a housing or shellhaving a lid pivotally mounted to a base for movement between closed andopen positions, and one or more cosmetics contained in the interior ofthe base. The housings of conventional cosmetic compacts are ordinarilymade of substantially rigid or brittle materials, such as plasticsand/or metals. Since it is not unusual for cosmetic compacts to besubjected to shocks, such as impacts, vibrations or jarring forces,during use, storage and/or transport, the housings and/or the contentsthereof often sustain irreparable damage. The housings themselves maycrack or break, mirrors within the housings may crack or shatter, and/orcosmetics within the housings may crack, fracture, chip or crumble.Cosmetics may leak out of damaged housings, and damaged cosmetics mayleak out of even intact housings. Leakage of contents from the housingsof cosmetic compacts results in loss of potentially expensive cosmeticsand may adversely compromise surrounding objects or areas. For example,cosmetics leaked from housings onto surrounding objects or areas maynecessitate tedious cleaning of the objects or areas and may permanentlystain the objects or areas. Damaged cosmetics may no longer function asdesired and are particularly vulnerable to further degradation.Accordingly, damaged cosmetic compacts may no longer provide sufficientprotection for their contents and may become unsuitable for normal use,storage and/or transport. Damaged cosmetic compacts, therefore, areusually disposed of by their users prematurely, thusly resulting ineconomic loss.

A cosmetic compact having a flexible housing made of a plastic or rubberelastomeric foam to protect against damage from shocks has been proposedin U.S. Pat. No. 6,055,992 to Skarne. A significant drawback to theproposed cosmetic compact is that the flexible housing must rely fordimensional stability upon a dimensionally sturdy mirror and adimensionally sturdy cosmetic compartment or tray disposed in the lidand base, respectively, of the housing. The dimensional instability ofthe housing when the mirror and/or the cosmetic compartment are notinstalled therein renders the compact unsuitable for use when some ofthe contents are removed. This is undesirable, especially in a cosmeticcompact having a plurality of removable cosmetic trays respectivelycontaining cosmetics which a user may deplete at different rates. Theuser may, for example, wish to remove some or all of the cosmetic trays,such as those which are empty or substantially depleted, from thehousing and continue to use the cosmetic compact for any remainingcosmetics and/or for the mirror or other accessories. This cannot bedone with the compact proposed by Skarne since the housing becomesdimensionally unstable and uncontrollably flexible when contents areremoved and the compact is handled during normal use. The cosmeticcompact proposed by Skarne fails to provide the versatility needed toenable users to remove some of the contents and continue using thecosmetic compact in a normal manner. Another significant drawback to thecosmetic compact proposed by Skarne is that the elastomeric foam may beeasily gouged, scratched, slashed or penetrated by other objects duringroutine use, thereby detracting from its shock absorbing effectivenessas well as from its appearance. In addition, the shock absorbingproperties of foam are subject to degradation in that the open cells ofthe foam are susceptible to crushing and permanent collapse so that thefoam loses its springiness in a short time when subjected to repeateddeformations.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,135,012 to Kamen et al discloses a cosmetic compact inwhich the lid and base of the housing are flexible due to being made ofa piece of thermoplastic material of nominal thickness. The nominalthickness of the lid and base reduces the structural strength of thehousing and provides little protection for the contents against damagefrom shocks.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,682,910 to Kizawa et al discloses a compact having asoft area along a front wall thereof to define a push button forreleasing hooks used to maintain the compact in a closed position. Thelocation and design of the soft area make it ineffective for shockabsorption.

In addition to hinged cosmetic containers, such as compacts, varioustypes of non-hinged cosmetic containers are conventionally known. Forexample, cosmetic containers such as jars or pots having a basecontaining a cosmetic and a separate lid removably associated with thebase are marketed and sold by many cosmetic suppliers. The lids may bethreaded onto the bases, may be press fit on the bases, may snap on andoff of the bases, and/or may be removably associated with the bases inany other manner. Industry-standard cosmetic containers of thenon-hinged type are, like industry-standard cosmetic compacts, veryadvantageous for conveniently transporting and/or storing cosmetics butare typically not protected against shocks and possess the samedisadvantages described above for industry-standard cosmetic compacts.However, shock absorbing cosmetic containers of the non-hinged type havethus far not been contemplated. Moreover, no product currently exists bywhich pre-existing, conventional or industry-standard cosmeticcontainers of both the hinged and non-hinged types can be shielded toeffectively absorb shocks so that the containers themselves as well astheir contents are protected from damage, particularly while allowingthe cosmetic containers to be used in their normal and intended manners.

Conventional cosmetic containers of the hinged and non-hinged types aremade from materials that tend to readily absorb and conduct ambientheat, which often results in thermal damage to the cosmetics within thecosmetic containers. The foam proposed in the Skarne patent is aparticularly good thermal conductor since external heat can easilypenetrate to the compact interior via the open cells of the foam. Whenconventional cosmetic containers are exposed to heat, cosmeticscontained therein are typically undesirably altered. For example, theconsistency of the cosmetics may be detrimentally changed in that thecosmetics may soften and may even melt, liquify or “run”. Cosmetics thathave experienced thermal damage may be rendered temporarily unsuitablefor use and, in many cases, may be rendered permanently unsuitable foruse. Even where thermally damaged cosmetics are suitable for furtheruse, the cosmetics often times remain impaired in one or more ways.Since cosmetic containers are commonly transported in receptacles whichare often placed in hot vehicles, sunny locations and other environmentswhere the receptacles and, therefore, the cosmetic containers, may beexposed to damaging heat, thermal effects to cosmetics occurs withunwanted frequency. Given that many cosmetics are expensive, thermaldamage to cosmetics represents a significant economic loss.Unfortunately, conventional cosmetic containers have not been designedwith a view toward protecting the cosmetics therein from thermal damage,and no product currently exists by which pre-existing, conventional orindustry-standard cosmetic containers may be shielded to protect againstthermal effects.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that a need exists for cosmeticcontainers which are better protected to absorb shocks and that a needalso exists for cosmetic containers in which the cosmetics can beprotected from thermal damage. In addition, there is also a need forprotective shields for receiving pre-existing, industry-standardcosmetic containers to provide shock absorption and/or thermalprotection for the cosmetic containers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to overcomethe aforementioned disadvantages of prior art cosmetic containers.

Another object of the present invention is to supply a thermallyresistant insulant and/or a material forming a shock absorbing body ofmaterial to cavities defined between interior and exterior faces of thelid and/or base of a cosmetic container and further to supply thethermally resistant insulant and/or the material to the cavities fromexternally thereof.

It is also an object of the present invention to supply a selectedvolume of a thermally resistant insulant and/or a material forming ashock absorbing body of material to cavities defined in the lid and/orbase of a cosmetic container in accordance with a desired externalgeometric configuration, a desired level of shock absorption protectionand/or a desired level of thermal protection selected for the cosmeticcontainer.

The present invention has as another object to enhance the durability,shock absorbing effectiveness and visual and tactile aesthetics of shockabsorbing cosmetic containers.

A further object of the present invention is to form the lid and/or baseof a cosmetic container of a solid, compressible and/or elastomericnon-cellular material for enhanced shock absorption, durability andvisual and tactile aesthetics.

Moreover, it is an object of the present invention to form the lidand/or base of a cosmetic container of a thermally resistant insulant toprotect a cosmetic within the cosmetic container from thermal damage.

Yet another object of the present invention is to form the lid and/orbase of a cosmetic container of a shock absorbing material and/or athermally resistant insulant encased between interior and exteriormembers or faces.

An additional object of the present invention is to form the lid and/orbase of a cosmetic container of a compressible and/or elastomeric rubberproviding both shock absorption protection and independent geometricstability to the cosmetic container.

It is an additional object of the present invention to install anindustry-standard cosmetic container in a protective shield to provideshock absorption and/or thermal protection to the cosmetic container.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide protectiveshields for use as accessories to industry-standard cosmetic containers.

Some of the advantages of the present invention are that the housings ofthe protected cosmetic containers and the protective shields maythemselves be protected against damage due to shocks; the protectedcosmetic containers and protective shields are lightweight;cosmetic-related objects including mirrors, accessories and cosmeticscan be removably or non-removably mounted in the housings of theprotected cosmetic containers; the accessories contained in theprotected cosmetic containers can include various applicators; one or aplurality of cosmetics can be contained in the lids and/or bases of theprotected cosmetic containers for efficient utilization of space; wherehinges are used to connect the lids and bases of the housings, thehinges may be formed integrally, unitarily with the lids and bases or asseparate mechanical components; reinforced hinges may be used forincreased strength; the lids and/or bases may be provided with variousexterior finishes providing shock absorption, enhanced visualcharacteristics, enhanced tactile characteristics, water resistance,thermal protection, improved durability and/or greater ease of use;various materials can be supplied to the cavities of the lids and basesto form the shock absorbing bodies of material; the size of the cavitiescan be fixed or predetermined or can be varied by supplying more or lessmaterial thereto; the level of shock absorption and/or thermalprotection can be selected in accordance with the fragility and/oreconomic value of the contents; various materials can be used for thethermally resistant insulant including fluids, solids and semi-solids;various closures and/or seals can be used in the protected cosmeticcontainers and/or protective shields; industry-standard cosmeticcontainers can be removably or non-removably installed in the protectiveshields; the industry-standard cosmetic containers can be secured in theprotective shields with or without the use of separate securing devices;an individual protective shield may be designed to accept both hingedand non-hinged industry-standard cosmetic containers; and an individualprotective shield may be designed to accept industry-standard cosmeticcontainers of various configurations and/or sizes.

These and other objects, advantages and benefits are realized with thepresent invention, one representative embodiment of which is generallycharacterized in a protected cosmetic container including a base and alid removably associated with the base to obtain closed and openpositions. The lid has an interior lid face and an exterior lid faceconnected to the interior lid face so as to define a lid cavity. Thebase has an interior base face and an exterior base face connected tothe interior base face so as to define a base cavity. The lid and basecavities each contain a shock absorbing body of material and/or athermally resistant insulant supplied to the cavities from externallythereof. Either or both of the interior lid and base faces have one ormore wells formed therein for receiving one or more cosmetics. The lidand base cavities may be distensible, allowing a variable volume ofmaterial and/or insulant to be supplied to the lid and base cavities inaccordance with preselected external geometric configurations for thelid and base, a preselected level of shock absorption protection for thecosmetic container and/or a preselected level of thermal protection forthe cosmetic container.

An alternative representative embodiment of a protected cosmeticcontainer is generally characterized by a base and a lid removablyassociated with the base to obtain closed and open positions, whereinthe lid and base are made in their entireties or substantially in theirentireties of a solid non-cellular material for absorbing shocks and/orresisting thermal conduction. The non-cellular material for the lid andbase may be provided without external and internal coverings such thatthe lid and base are each made entirely of the non-cellular material.Where the lid and/or base is provided with an external and/or internalcovering, it may be considered as being substantially entirely made ofthe non-cellular material.

A further representative embodiment of a protected cosmetic container isgenerally characterized by a base and a lid removably associated withthe base to obtain closed and open positions, wherein the lid and baseare made in their entireties or substantially in their entireties of acoldness retaining material.

Another representative embodiment of a protected cosmetic container isgenerally characterized by a base and a lid removably associated withthe base to obtain closed and open positions, wherein the lid and baseare made in their entireties or substantially in their entireties of acompressible and/or elastomeric solid rubber for absorbing shocks. Therubber lid and base have predetermined geometric configurations, and therubber is of sufficient rigidity to independently maintain thepredetermined geometric configurations.

An additional and particularly preferred representative embodiment of aprotected cosmetic container is generally characterized by a base and alid removably associated with the base to obtain closed and openpositions, wherein the lid and base each comprise a shock absorbingmaterial and/or a thermally resistant insulant encased between interiorand exterior faces. In this embodiment, the base and lid will typicallybe made substantially in their entireties of the shock absorbingmaterial and/or thermally resistant insulant.

Yet another representative embodiment of a protected cosmetic containeris generally characterized by a first housing member and a secondhousing member removably engageable with one another to obtain closedand open positions. At least one of the first and second housing memberscontains a cosmetic and comprises a shock absorbing material, a shockabsorbing body of material and/or a thermally resistant insulant. Thefirst and second housing members may be removably engageable via a pressfit, a snap fit, a friction fit, a threaded engagement or in any othermanner. The first and second housing members may be connected by a hingeor any other connecting structure. The at least one housing member maycomprise an interior face and an exterior face connected to the interiorface to define a cavity for being supplied with a thermally resistantinsulant and/or a material forming a shock absorbing body of materialfrom externally of the at least one housing member. Alternatively, theat least one housing member may be made in its entirety or substantiallyin its entirety of a solid, non-cellular shock absorbing material. Asanother alternative, the at least one housing member may be made in itsentirety or substantially in its entirety of a compressible and/orelastomeric solid rubber of sufficient rigidity to independentlymaintain a predetermined geometric configuration for the at least onehousing member. As an additional alternative, the at least one housingmember may comprise a shock absorbing material and/or a thermallyresistant insulant encased between interior and exterior faces.

A protective shield according to the present invention is generallycharacterized in a shield lid and a shield base having interior faces,respectively, defining respective lid and base recesses. The lid andbase recesses are adapted to receive the lid and base, respectively, ofan industry-standard cosmetic container. The shield lid and shield basemay be made partly or entirely of a shock absorbing material, a shockabsorbing body of material and/or a thermally resistant insulant toprotect the industry-standard cosmetic container from shocks and/orthermal effects while allowing the industry-standard cosmetic containerto be used in a normal manner while maintained in the shield. The shieldlid and the shield base may have exterior faces connected to theirinterior faces to define lid and base cavities, respectively, containinga shock absorbing body of material and/or a thermally resistant insulantsupplied to the cavities from externally thereof. The shield lid andshield base may alternatively be made in their entireties orsubstantially in their entireties of a thermally resistant insulantand/or a shock absorbing material. The shield lid and shield base mayeach include a thermally resistant insulant and/or a shock absorbingmaterial encased between interior and exterior faces.

A protected industry-standard cosmetic container assembly is generallycharacterized in a protective shield including a shield lid and a shieldbase having interior faces, respectively, defining respective lid andbase recesses, and an industry-standard cosmetic container having a lidand a base installed in the lid and base recesses, respectively, forshock absorption and/or thermal protection.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a protected cosmetic container accordingto the present invention in a closed position.

FIG. 2 is a partially exploded perspective view of the protectedcosmetic container in an open position.

FIG. 3 is a side sectional view of the protected cosmetic containertaken along line 3-3 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a side sectional view of the protected cosmetic container withoptional exterior and interior coverings.

FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of an alternativeprotected cosmetic container according to the present invention in anopen position.

FIG. 6 is a side sectional view of the protected cosmetic container ofFIG. 5 in the closed position and illustrating outer and innercoverings.

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of another alternative protectedcosmetic container according to the present invention in an openposition.

FIG. 8 is a side sectional view of a further alternative protectedcosmetic container according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of a protective shield according to thepresent invention in an open position and a hinged industry-standardcosmetic container for being installed in the protective shield to forma protected industry-standard cosmetic container assembly.

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the protected industry-standardcosmetic container assembly, in an open position, formed when theindustry-standard cosmetic container of FIG. 9 is installed in theprotective shield.

FIG. 11 is a side sectional view of the protected industry-standardcosmetic container assembly of FIG. 10 in a closed position.

FIG. 12 is a perspective view of an alternative protective shieldaccording to the present invention in an open position and showing ahinged industry-standard cosmetic container assembled to the alternativeprotective shield to form a protected industry-standard cosmeticcontainer assembly.

FIG. 13 is an exploded perspective view of an additional alternativeprotected cosmetic container according to the present invention.

FIG. 14 is an exploded perspective view of yet a further alternativeprotected cosmetic container according to the present invention.

FIG. 15 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative protectiveshield according to the present invention and a non-hingedindustry-standard cosmetic container for being installed in theprotective shield to form a protected industry-standard cosmeticcontainer assembly.

FIG. 16 is an exploded perspective view of another protected cosmeticcontainer according to the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

A protected cosmetic container 10 according to the present invention isillustrated in FIGS. 1-3 as a hinged cosmetic container or compactincluding a housing or shell 12 and one or more cosmetic-related items,objects or contents contained in housing 12. Housing 12 includes a firsthousing member or lid 16, a second housing member or base 18 and a hinge20 pivotally connecting lid 16 to base 18 for movement between a closedposition shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 and an open position shown in FIG. 2.Lid 16 includes an interior lid face, member or wall 22 and an exteriorlid face, member or wall 24 having peripheral or perimetrical edgesconnected to one another along a seam 25 to define and enclose a lidcavity 26 between the interior and exterior lid members for beingsupplied with a quantity of material forming a shock absorbing body ofmaterial 28 and/or for being supplied with a thermally resistantinsulant 29 as shown in FIG. 3. Base 18 includes an interior base face,member or wall 30 and an exterior base face, member or wall 32 havingperipheral or perimetrical edges connected to one another along a seam33 to define and enclose a base cavity 34 between the interior andexterior base members for being supplied with a quantity of materialforming a shock absorbing body of material 28 and/or for being suppliedwith a thermally resistant insulant 29 as shown in FIG. 3. In the closedposition, the interior lid member 22 is disposed over the interior basemember 30 in facing relation such that the housing defines an interiorthat is enclosed and inaccessible. In the open position, the interiorlid member 22 is removed from the interior base member 30 and is innon-facing relation therewith such that the interior of the housing isexposed and accessible while the lid remains attached to the base viathe hinge.

The peripheral edges of the interior lid and base members can havevarious configurations in accordance with the configuration desired forthe protected cosmetic container including circular, oval, rectangularand square peripheral configurations. The peripheral edges of theinterior lid and base members 22 and 30 have a circular configuration inthe illustrated embodiment. The seams 25 and 33 are aligned or flush inthe closed position to form a smooth, even junction 35 along theexterior of the protected cosmetic container. The interior lid member 22and the interior base member 30 can be made of the same or differentmaterials, which can be rigid or flexible. As an example, the interiorlid and base members are both molded plastic members of greater rigiditythan the exterior lid and base members.

As best shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the interior lid member 22 and theinterior base member 30 each preferably define one or more wells 36 inwhich the cosmetic-related contents, items or objects, including one ormore cosmetics 14, mirror 40, applicator 44 and/or various othercosmetic-related items are disposed. However, only one of the firsthousing member or lid 16 and the second housing member or base 18 needbe provided with at least one well 36 for containing a cosmetic 14. Thewells 36 have bottom surfaces or walls 37 recessed from interiorsurfaces 38 of the interior lid and base members, respectively, and haveside surfaces or walls 39 joining the bottom surfaces 37 to the interiorsurfaces 38, which may be planar. The wells 36 are open to the interiorof the housing and can have various perimetrical or peripheralconfigurations and/or various uniform or non-uniform depths inaccordance with the dimensions of the items, contents or objects to bedisposed therein.

In the illustrated embodiment, the interior lid member 22 includes awell 36 having a semi-circular peripheral configuration for mounting orreceiving the semi-circular mirror 40, and a well 36 having a generallyoval or elliptical peripheral configuration for mounting or receiving aretainer 42 for the applicator 44. The wells for the interior lid member22 are arranged symmetrically to a diametric axis of lid 16 bisectinghinge 20, with the oval well disposed between the semi-circular well andthe hinge. The interior base member 30 for the illustrated embodimentincludes two wells 36 of quarter-circular peripheral configuration andone well 36 of semi-circular peripheral configuration respectivelyreceiving correspondingly configured trays 52 containing the cosmetics14. The quarter-circular and semi-circular wells of interior base member30 are arranged within a circular area concentric with the peripheraledge of the interior base member and are arranged symmetrically to adiametric axis of base 18 bisecting hinge 20. The quarter-circular wellsare disposed between hinge 20 and the semi-circular well of base member30, with a quarter-circular well disposed on each side of the diametricaxis.

It should be appreciated that the wells and, therefore, the objects tobe disposed therein, can be arranged in the lid and base in many variousways and that the interior lid member can be provided with one or morewells for containing cosmetics to maximize efficient use of space. Itshould be appreciated, however, that the interior lid member 22 can beprovided without any wells therein in that no contents need be disposedin the lid 16. In this case, the interior base member 30 is providedwith at least one well, and one or more cosmetic-related items, contentsor objects, including at least one cosmetic, are contained in the atleast one well. Of course, another variation could include at least onecosmetic-related object, including at least one cosmetic, in the lid 16with there being no contents in the base 18. Preferably, at least onecosmetic 14 is contained in either the lid or the base.

Retainer 42 can be designed in various ways and, in the illustratedembodiment, the retainer 42 includes a support 46 for being disposed inthe corresponding oval well and a retaining member 48 for releasablyretaining the applicator 44 on the support 46. The support 46 can bedesigned in various ways and is a flat or planar, die-cut plastic piecein the illustrated embodiment, the die-cut piece having a peripheralsize and shape to fit within the corresponding well. The support 46 hasan interiorly facing surface upon which applicator 44 is supported, andthe interiorly facing surface is recessed from the interior surface 38of the interior lid member 22 when the retainer 42 is installed in thecorresponding well. The interiorly facing surface is recessed asufficient distance from the interior surface 38 of lid member 22 sothat the applicator 44 and retaining member 48 are accommodated in thespace defined between the support 46 and the interior surface 38 ofinterior base member 30 in the closed position as shown in FIG. 3. Itshould be appreciated that the support 46 does not have to be recessedfrom the interior surface 38 of the interior lid member 22 in that thesupport may be provided with a depression for the applicator 44 so thatthe applicator and retaining member are accommodated between the supportand the interior base member in the closed position. Of course, objectsdisposed in the wells of the interior lid member 22 may protrudeinteriorly from the interior surface 38 of lid member 22 whereappropriate space or spaces is/are provided in the interior base member30 to accommodate such protrusion when the protected cosmetic containerassumes the closed position. The same can be said for objects disposedin the wells of the interior base member 30.

The retaining member 48 can be designed in various ways and, in theillustrated embodiment, the retaining member includes an elastic orstretchable strap secured to the support 46. The retaining member orstrap 48 extends along the minor central longitudinal axis of thesupport 46 and may be secured to the support in various ways. Forexample, the strap 48 may be secured to the support adhesively, such asby being glued to an exteriorly facing surface of the support 46. Theapplicator 44 can include various types of applicators suitable forapplying cosmetics contained in the protected cosmetic container. Theapplicator 44 for the illustrated embodiment includes an applicator tipconnected to a handle 50 insertable between the strap 48 and theinteriorly facing surface of the support 46 as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3.The applicator tip is illustrated as a brush but may be a foam, spongeor any other applicator tip. The strap 48 holds the handle 50 againstthe interiorly facing surface of insert 46, while being stretchable orextensible to allow a user to remove the handle from retainer 42 for useof applicator 44 and to reinsert the handle between the strap and thesupport for storage of the applicator in the protected cosmeticcontainer.

Mirror 40 and retainer 42 may be non-removably or removably mounted intheir corresponding wells. The mirror 40 and retainer 42 may benon-removably mounted in various ways, such as with non-releasablesecuring devices or glue or other adhesives. In the case of protectedcosmetic container 10, the mirror 40 and the support 46 are bothpermanently glued in their corresponding wells. The mirror 40 and theretainer 42 may be removably mounted in their corresponding wells invarious ways, including the use of releasable securing devices, such asmagnets or Velcro, and/or the use of a compressible and/or elastomericmaterial as described below. As explained further below, the releasablesecuring devices may be formed integrally, unitarily with the interiorlid member or may comprise separate components.

The trays 52 are made of metal, but may be made of various othermaterials including plastic. Upper edges of the trays 52 are preferablyrecessed about 1/16 inch from the interior surface 38 of interior basemember 30 when the trays are installed in the corresponding wells of theinterior base member. Initially, the trays 52 are filled with cosmetics14 up to or substantially up to the upper edges of the trays, and thetrays being recessed the specified distance from the interior surface 38of the interior base member 30 promotes confinement of the cosmetics 14to their corresponding wells during use and prevents contact of thecosmetics with the interior lid member, and/or objects mounted in theinterior lid member, in the closed position. Of course, the cosmetics 14can be supplied directly to the corresponding wells such that the trayscan be eliminated.

The trays 52 can be non-removably secured in their corresponding wellsas described above for mirror 40 and retainer 42, but are preferablyremovably secured in their corresponding wells so that empty orsufficiently depleted trays can be removed by the user and, if desired,replaced with new trays containing a full supply of cosmetics. The trays52 can be removably secured in their respective wells in various waysincluding the use of various releasable securing devices formedintegrally, unitarily with the interior base member, comprising separatecomponents such as magnets or Velcro and/or comprising a compressibleand/or elastomeric material as described further below.

As shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2, the wells 36 corresponding to trays52 may have releasable securing devices in the form of magnets 54mounted therein attractive to the metal of trays 52. Magnets 54 can bemounted in various ways, such as being glued into pockets or depressionsformed in the bottom surfaces 37 of the wells. Where the trays 52 arenot themselves made of a magnetically attractable material, the traysmay have cooperating releasable securing devices in the form ofmagnetically attractable material 56 glued or otherwise secured theretoas shown in dotted lines in FIG. 2. FIG. 2 shows magneticallyattractable material 56 secured to the bottom of a tray at a locationcorresponding to magnet 54. Of course, the location of the magnets andthe magnetically attractable material can be reversed in that the trays52 can be formed of a magnetic material or have magnetic materialsecured thereto attractive to magnetically attractable material disposedin the corresponding wells.

Trays 52 can contain the same type or different types of cosmetics 14.For example, all of the trays 52 can contain eye shadow, and each tray52 can contain an eye shadow of a different color. As another example,the trays 52 can contain different types of cosmetics, such as eyeshadow, blush and lip color, respectively. The cosmetics 14 can includeface powder, foundation, bronzer, blush, lip color, lip gloss, lip balm,eye shadow, eyebrow color, and eye liner, and may be in any suitableform including but not limited to pressed or cake powder, loose powder,gels and/or creams.

An annular rim 58 extends along the periphery of interior lid member 22and protrudes interiorly from the interior surface 38 of interior lidmember 22. The rim 58 has an end surface 60, which may be planar,extending inwardly from the peripheral edge of the interior lid member22 to an inner side wall 62. Side wall 62 is concentric with theperipheral edge of the interior lid member 22 and extends exteriorlyfrom the end surface 60 to the interior surface 38 of interior lidmember 22. Accordingly, the interior surface 38 of lid member 22 isrecessed from the end surface 60. A corresponding shoulder 64 followsthe periphery of interior base member 30. Shoulder 64 includes an endsurface 66, which may be planar, extending inwardly from the peripheraledge of the interior base member 30 to an outer side wall 68, whichextends interiorly from end surface 66 to the interior surface 38 of theinterior base member 30. The side wall 68 is concentric with theperipheral edge of the interior base member 30, and the end surface 66is recessed from the interior surface 38 of interior base member 30.

When the protected cosmetic container 10 is in the closed position asshown in FIG. 3, the lid 16 is pivoted toward the base 18, and the innerside wall 62 of rim 58 frictionally engages the outer side wall 68 ofshoulder 64 with a press-type fit. The interior lid and base members 22and 30 are in facing relation, with the inner and outer side walls 62and 68 engaging in a concentric friction fit that is sufficiently tightthat the lid is retained in the closed position and the interior of thehousing is enclosed so that the contents are not accessible or exposed.Accordingly, the rim and shoulder form a releasable closure for theprotected cosmetic container, the closure serving to releasably orremovably engage the lid and base to maintain the closed position. Thelid 16 remains in the closed position until a manual opening force,sufficient to overcome the frictional retaining force of the side walls62 and 68, is applied thereto in order to remove the lid 16 from thebase 18. In the closed position, the end surfaces 60 and 66 are insealing engagement such that the rim and shoulder also form a seal forthe protected cosmetic container. The end surfaces 60 and 66 arepreferably in continuous contact or abutment, such that the sealprovided by side walls 62 and 68 may, but does not have to be,air-tight.

It should be appreciated that the protected cosmetic container can bereleasably retained in the closed position and/or that the interior ofthe housing can be sealed in the closed position in various ways otherthan or in addition to the rim and shoulder described and shown hereinby way of example. Various closures and/or seals can be provided in oron the protected cosmetic container 10 as separate or integralcomponents. As an example, magnets can be used as releasable closures toreleasably or removably retain or to assist in retaining the lid in theclosed position. FIG. 2 illustrates in dotted lines releasable closurescomprising magnets 54′ on lid 16 and magnetically attractable material56′ on base 18 at locations corresponding to magnets 54′. The use ofmagnets and magnetically attractable material as closures for theprotected cosmetic containers and protective shields according to thepresent invention is discussed below in greater detail.

Protected cosmetic container 10 can be designed as a non-hingedprotected cosmetic container not having the hinge 20 so that the lid 16and the base 18 are separate, disconnected parts as shown in dottedlines in FIG. 2 and as described for protected cosmetic container 910.In the latter case, the rim and shoulder permit the lid 16 to beselectively engaged with and removed from the base 18 to obtain theclosed and open positions, although the lid 16 can be removablyassociated with the base 18 using various releasable closures such asthreads, for example. Also, the protected cosmetic container 10 could beconstructed as a shaped membrane defining the lid and base cavities asdescribed below for protective shield 411.

Hinge 20 can be designed in various ways and may be formed integrally,unitarily with the lid 16 and base 18 or as one or more separatemechanical components. The hinge 20 allows rotation of lid 16 to obtainthe open and closed positions. In the open position, the interior lidmember is removed from the interior base member so that the interior lidand base members 22 and 30 are no longer in facing relation, therebyexposing the interior of the housing so that the contents are accessiblefor use. The hinge 20 preferably provides a substantial range of pivotalmovement for lid 16. In the illustrated embodiment, the hinge allows thelid 16 to be oriented at 180 degrees to the base 18 in the openposition. Accordingly, the protected cosmetic container 10 may assume aflat configuration in the open position, allowing the open protectedcosmetic container to be supported on a flat support surface with theexterior lid and base members in contact with the support surface. Thisis advantageous in facilitating use of the cosmetics disposed in the lidand/or base. Particularly, where cosmetics are disposed in the lid 16,use of such cosmetics is facilitated when the lid 16 is supported on theflat support surface. Use of cosmetics disposed in base 18 is alsofacilitated since the base can be supported on the support surface withthe protected cosmetic container open, but without the risk of theprotected cosmetic container tipping, so that the user's hands are notneeded to support or stabilize the protected cosmetic container.

The hinge 20 for the illustrated embodiment is formed integrally,unitarily with the interior lid and base members 22 and 30, and is aliving or self-hinge formed as a bendable flap pivotally joining theinterior lid and base members. The flap extends between the peripheraledges of the interior lid and base members, and may be of desiredlength, width and thickness. Where an integral, unitary hinge isutilized, it may be advantageous to utilize a sufficiently rigidmaterial for the interior lid and base members so that the hinge is ofsufficient structural integrity and strength. Alternatively and/or inaddition, the flap may be made of increased thickness or may be coveredexteriorly and/or interiorly with a layer of reinforcing material forincreased strength and structural reinforcement. It should beappreciated that the hinge 20 could be formed integrally, unitarily withthe exterior lid and base members 24 and 32, with reinforcement for thehinge provided as needed. The exterior lid and base members 24 and 32can be used to reinforce the hinge 20. As an example, the exterior lidand base members 24 and 32 may be connected to one another by anexterior flap 21 which may extend over and cover the flap of hinge 20exteriorly as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 3. The exterior flap 21 maybe the same length and width as the flap of hinge 20 and may be securedto the flap of hinge 20 in various ways including adhesives and/orvarious sealing and bonding techniques. The exterior flap 21 may beuseful to reinforce hinge 20, to reduce the number of parts and/or tosimplify the manufacturing process.

The lid cavity 26 and the base cavity 34 distend when supplied with thethermally resistant insulant 29 and/or the material forming the shockabsorbing bodies of material 28. The exterior lid member 24 and theexterior base member 32 are each formed as a distensible membrane ofminimal thickness made from stretchable or non-stretchable material.Where flap 21 is provided, the lid and base membranes may be formedintegrally, unitarily as a one-piece member. Where the lid and basemembers are not connected by flap 21, the lid and base membranes willeach ordinarily constitute a single piece or member, but each could beconstituted by a plurality of pieces or members. The lid and basemembranes are connected to the interior lid and base members 22 and 30,respectively, to enclose cavities 26 and 34, respectively, in the natureof a bladder. The lid and base cavities for the illustrated embodimentare shown as being separate and not interconnected with one another. Itshould be appreciated, however, that the lid and base cavities can beconnected or in communication with one another along hinge 20 in thatthe exterior lid and base members 24 and 32 can be connected via a flap,such as flap 21, which may be secured along its edges to the flap ofhinge 20 so as to define a hinge cavity connecting the lid and basecavities. This hinge cavity can be supplied with the material formingthe shock absorbing body of material and/or with the thermally resistantinsulant without impeding the ability of the lid to pivot about thehinge.

The exterior lid and base members may be connected to the interior lidand base members, respectively, by any suitable means includingadhesives and/or various sealing and bonding techniques. The lid andbase membranes can be made from a durable, tear-resistant materialand/or can be exteriorly covered with exterior coverings, which may bemade of durable, tear-resistant material. An exterior covering can beprovided over either or both of the lid and base membranes foraesthetics, such as to impart a distinctive appearance to the cosmeticcontainer, and/or for functionality, such as to provide water ormoisture-resistance, shock absorption or cushioning, thermal protection,increased durability and/or a surface particularly conducive to graspingand handling. The exterior coverings can have a translucent, tintedfinish or any other decorative finish. Where the lid and base membranesare not provided with exterior coverings, the lid and base membranes canhave a translucent, tinted finish or any other decorative finish. Thelid and base membranes can be made of various materials; and, as anexample, the exterior lid and base members 24 and 30 can each be madefrom a thin polyurethane membrane. The interior lid and base members 22and 30 can be made of the same material as the exterior lid and basemembers; and, accordingly, the interior lid and base members can bemembranes made from stretchable or non-stretchable material as describedbelow in connection with protective shield 411. Where the interior lidand base members are of the same material as the exterior lid and basemembers, the interior lid and base members can be made integrally,unitarily with the exterior lid and base members, respectively, as alsodescribed below for protective shield 411. An interior covering can beprovided over either or both of the interior lid and base members. Evenwhere exterior and interior coverings are provided for both the lid andbase, the lid and base are still comprised substantially entirely of theshock absorbing body of material 28 and/or the thermally resistantinsulant 29. Exterior and interior coverings are described furtherbelow.

The interior lid and base members 22 and 30 are assembled to theexterior lid and base members 24 and 32, respectively, prior to thematerial which forms shock absorbing bodies of material 28 and/or thethermally resistant insulant 29 being supplied to the lid and basecavities 26 and 34. In order to supply thermally resistant insulant 29and/or the material forming the shock absorbing bodies of material 28 tocavities 26 and 34, supply ports 70 are provided in the lid 16 and thebase 18, respectively, at any suitable locations. In the illustratedembodiment, a port 70 is located in the bottom surface of a well in eachof the interior lid member 22 and the interior base member 30 as shownin FIG. 2. Accordingly, the ports 70 are exposed and accessible prior toinstallation of objects in the wells, and are covered and not visibleafter final assembly of the protected cosmetic container 10. In theillustrated embodiment, ports 70 are provided in the wells correspondingto mirror 40 and the semi-circular tray 52, respectively. The ports 70are exposed and uncovered prior to installation or assembly of themirror 40 in the lid 16 and the semi-circular tray 52 in the base 18,and are covered by the mirror and the semi-circular tray following finalassembly of the protected cosmetic container.

It should be appreciated that the ports 70 can be provided in theexterior lid and base members 24 and 32, respectively, can be providedbetween the exterior and interior lid and base members, for examplealong seams 25 and 33, respectively, and/or can be provided at any othersuitable locations establishing communication with the enclosed cavities26 and 34, respectively, from the exterior thereof. Ports 70 arepreferably no larger than needed to supply the particular thermallyresistant insulant 29 and/or the particular material selected for theshock absorbing bodies of material 28 to the lid and base cavities, andpreferably the ports are small in size. The ports can be self-sealing orself-closing after the insulant and/or material has been supplied to thelid and base cavities, or may be sealed or closed using separatemembers, such as plugs. The ports can be sealed or closed by the objectsinstalled in the wells 36. For example, the port 70 in lid 16 can besealed or closed by the mirror 40 permanently installed over the port inthe corresponding well. It should be appreciated that a single port maybe sufficient where the lid and base cavities are in communication withone another as in the case of protective shield 411 described below.

The material selected for the shock absorbing bodies of material 28and/or the thermally resistant insulant 29 is/are supplied to the lidand base cavities 26 and 34 with the ports 70 exposed to provide accessthereto. The material selected for the shock absorbing bodies ofmaterial 28 and/or the thermally resistant insulant 29 may be suppliedto the lid and base cavities from a source 72, and the source 72 mayinclude a nozzle or dispenser 74 for insertion in the ports 70. Thematerial and/or insulant is/are supplied from the source 72 through theports 70 and into the lid and base cavities, respectively. Of course,the structural components and the manner for supplying the materialand/or insulant to the lid and base cavities can vary depending on thecharacteristics of the material and/or insulant. Since the materialand/or insulant is/are supplied through ports 70, it is preferable thatthe material and/or insulant be capable of being delivered as a flow orstream.

Illustrative, but not limited, materials for the shock absorbing bodiesof material 28 include air, gel, foam, rubber, sand, putty, liquid,powder, cotton, feathers, pellets and the like, presenting or forming acompressible and/or elastomeric shock absorbing body or volume in eachof the lid 16 and base 18. The lid and base cavities 26 and 34 aresupplied with sufficient quantities of the material to protect thecontents of the cosmetic container 10 against damage due to shocksincluding impacts, jarring forces, shaking and vibrations. Since thematerial forms a compressible and/or elastomeric body or volume in eachof the lid 16 and base 18, the lid and base are themselves protectedagainst damage due to shocks. In addition, the shock absorbing bodies ofmaterial 28 in the lid and base cavities 26 and 34 cooperate with thedistensible exterior lid and base members 24 and 32, respectively, toobtain selected or predetermined external geometric configurations forthe lid 16 and base 18, respectively, as described further below.

Thermally resistant insulant 29 resists conduction of ambient heat tothe interior of housing 12 and thusly protects the cosmetic container,especially cosmetics 14, from the effects of heat. Thermally resistantinsulant 29 may comprise a coldness retaining material or coolant. Thecoldness retaining material or coolant may be one having a non-cooled ornon-chilled state and which is capable of being activated in response toexposure to a cold environment, such as refrigeration, to assume acooled or chilled state, with the coldness retaining material thereafterremaining in the cooled state for a significant length of time. Apreferred coldness retaining material or coolant comprises a siliconegel, particularly a multi-component, very soft, low-viscosity liquidsilicone dielectric encapsulant gel having high energy absorbingcharacteristics. Another preferred coldness retaining material is afluidic gel including sodium acetate trihydrate as an additive. The gelused for the coldness retaining material may cure to a soft solid afterbeing supplied to the lid and base cavities or may remain fluidic aftercuring. The gel would typically be expected to remain in a cooled statefor up to three hours or more after being activated by refrigerationfrom the non-cooled state. Since gels are very elastomeric, anelastomeric and/or compressible shock absorbing body of material ispresented in each of the lids 16 and base 18. Accordingly, it should beappreciated that the material forming the shock absorbing bodies ofmaterial 28 can be a thermally resistant insulant 29 such that thethermally resistant insulant and the material forming the shockabsorbing bodies of material can be one and the same. In other words,the material forming the shock absorbing bodies of material 28 can be,but does not have to be, a thermally resistant insulant, and thethermally resistant insulant 29 can be, but does not have to be, amaterial forming a shock absorbing body of material. It is preferred,however, that the thermally resistant insulant 29 also form shockabsorbing bodies of material in the lid and base so that the protectedcosmetic container is protected from both shocks and thermal effects. Ofcourse, a thermally resistant insulant and a material forming a shockabsorbing body of material can both be independently supplied to the lidand base such that the material and insulant together provide both shockabsorption and thermal protection.

Where the protected cosmetic container 10 is provided with a coldnessretaining material that is activated by cooling, the protected cosmeticcontainer 10 will typically be placed in a cold environment, such as arefrigerator, in advance of potential exposure of the cosmetic containerto relatively high temperatures. For many cosmetics, relatively hightemperatures are temperatures above a normal range for room temperatureand may range, for example, from 75 degrees Fahrenheit and above.Exposure to relatively high temperatures may occur, for example, due torelatively high air temperature, relatively high humidity and/or directexposure to a radiant heat source such as sunlight. The protectedcosmetic container will normally be left in the refrigerator for alength of time, i.e., a cooling time, sufficient to establish cooling ofthe coldness retaining material from the non-cooled state to the cooledstate. The temperature, i.e. cooling temperature, of the coldnessretaining material in the cooled state will preferably be significantlybelow the normal range for room temperature and may range, for example,from 35 degrees Fahrenheit to 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The protectedcosmetic container can be supplied to the user with a recommend coolingtime or times, and the cooling time and/or cooling temperature may varyin accordance with the level of thermal protection desired for theprotected cosmetic container. The protected cosmetic container could beprovided with indicia, such as a visual indicator, which is a firstcolor when the coldness retaining material is in the non-cooled stateand which assumes a second color, different from the first color, whenthe coldness retaining material assumes a predetermined coolingtemperature in the cooled state. The protected cosmetic container 10 isremoved from the refrigerator upon the cooled state being obtained, andmay thereafter be transported from place to place and used in a normal,routine manner. The coldness retaining material retains its coldness fora considerable length of time after removal from the cold environment,typically three hours or more. During this time, the protected cosmeticcontainer 10 can safely be exposed to environments in which relativelyhigh temperatures may be encountered, and the cosmetics 14 are protectedfrom thermal damage due to such relatively high temperatures. Thethermally resistant insulant 29 forms a heat-resistant barrier aroundcosmetics 14 and deters thermal conduction of heat into the interior ofhousing 12. In addition to the cosmetics 14 being protected againstthermal damage due to relatively high temperatures, the overall shelflife of the cosmetics is extended and the quality of the cosmetics isbetter preserved when the cosmetics are cooled. Accordingly, a protectedcosmetic container having a thermally resistant insulant and, inparticular, a coldness retaining material, may benefit significantlyfrom being routinely stored in a refrigerator or other cold environment.

Each of the lid 16 and base 18 is constituted substantially in itsentirety of the shock absorbing body of material and/or thermallyresistant insulant. The quantities of material and/or insulant suppliedto the lid and base cavities 26 and 34, respectively, may be the same ordifferent. The shock absorbing bodies of material 28 and/or thermallyresistant insulant 29 supplied to the lid and base cavities result indesired uniform or non-uniform cross-sectional wall thicknesses for thelid and base, respectively, the wall thicknesses being sufficient toprovide the necessary shock absorption and/or thermal protection. Theselected or predetermined external geometric configurations for the lid16 and base 18 may be the same or different. In the illustratedembodiment, the exterior lid member 24 has a convex or dome-shapedconfiguration, and the exterior base member 32 defines a substantiallyflat or planar bottom wall and an annular side wall. Where the exteriorlid and base members 24 and 32 are made of non-stretchable material, thewall thicknesses and/or predetermined external geometric configurationsare achieved via appropriate shaping or contouring of the exterior lidand base members. Where the exterior lid and base members are made ofstretchable material, the wall thicknesses and/or the predeterminedexternal geometric configurations may be achieved via appropriateshaping or contouring of the exterior lid and/or base members, byproviding areas of different stretchability in the exterior lid and/orbase members and/or by controlling the quantity of material and/orinsulant supplied to the lid and base cavities. As shown in dotted linesin FIG. 3, a larger predetermined external geometric configurationand/or greater wall thickness may be obtained for lid 16, where theexterior lid member 24 is stretchable, by supplying a greater quantityof material and/or insulant to the lid cavity 26 so that the exteriorlid member 24 stretches a greater amount. The amount of material and/orinsulant supplied to the lid and base cavities can be varied inaccordance with a selected level of shock absorption and/or thermalprotection desired for cosmetic container 10. By making the exterior lidand/or base members of stretchable material, an individual lid and basecan obtain various levels of shock absorption and/or thermal protectionfor the protected cosmetic container and/or various external geometricconfigurations and/or sizes. Various levels of shock absorption and/orthermal protection may be obtained by varying the wall thicknessesand/or the densities of the shock absorbing bodies of material 28 and/orthe thermally resistant insulant 29.

The material used for the shock absorbing bodies of material 28 and/orthe thermally resistant insulant 29 can be in a first state while beingsupplied to the lid and base cavities and can assume a second state,different from the first state, after being supplied to the lid and basecavities. As an example, the material used for the shock absorbingbodies of material 28 may be a polyurethane foam supplied to the lid andbase cavities as a flow or stream in a fluidic state and curing, dryingor setting to assume a solid state a short time thereafter. A foammaterial is also illustrative of a material which performs aself-sealing or self-closing function at ports 70, in that the ports 70are automatically sealed or closed when the foam assumes the solidstate. Representative foams include polyurethane, polyethylene,polypropylene, polystyrene, polyether, polyester polyurethane, ethylenepropylene diene monomer (EPDM), neoprene, styrene-butadiene copolymerrubber (SBR), nitrile-butadiene copolymer rubber (NBR), ethylene vinylacetate (EVA), polyvinyl chloride (PVC) and (PVR/NBR). As anotherexample, a thermally resistant insulant 29 comprising a coldnessretaining gel may be supplied to the lid and base cavities in a fluidicstate and may subsequently cure to assume a soft solid or semi-solidstate. Accordingly, the material and/or insulant may be flowable whensupplied to the lid and base cavities and may thereafter becomeunflowable.

Any suitable material can be supplied to the lid and base cavities toform shock absorbing bodies of material capable of compressing and/orelastically or otherwise resiliently deforming to cushion or absorbshocks to which the cosmetic container may be subjected. Virtually anytype of material can be used for the shock absorbing bodies of materialincluding solids, fluids, particulates and granular materials. Thematerial itself can be compressible and/or elastic or can benon-compressible and/or non-elastic, in that a shock absorbing orcushioning effect can be obtained from the manner in which the materialis arranged in the lid and base cavities. Individual elements of thematerial which are not themselves compressible and/or elastic can bearranged to form the shock absorbing bodies of material by virtue oftheir arrangement in the lid and base cavities. It is preferred that theshock absorbing bodies of material 28 are possessed of sufficientelasticity or shape memory to repeatedly assume, spring back or returnto their original shape after compressing or deforming to absorb shocks.As pointed out above, the shock absorbing bodies of material can also bea thermally resistant insulant.

Although the protected cosmetic container 10 is illustrated with boththe lid 16 and the base 18 comprising a shock absorbing body of materialand/or a thermally resistant insulant for optimal shock absorptionand/or thermal protection, it should be appreciated that either or bothof the lid and the base may comprise a shock absorbing body of materialand/or a thermally resistant insulant. Where only one of the firsthousing member or lid 16 and the second housing member or base 18contains a cosmetic or other cosmetic-related object to be protected andthe other of the first housing member and the second housing member doesnot contain any cosmetic-related objects requiring protection, thehousing member that contains the cosmetic or other object requiringprotection may comprise the shock absorbing body of material and/orthermally resistant insulant while the housing member that does notcontain a cosmetic-related object requiring protection does not have tocomprise a shock absorbing body of material and/or a thermally resistantinsulant and may be of generally conventional design as described belowfor protected cosmetic container 910. The housing member that is ofgenerally conventional design may be provided with a releasable closurecooperating with a releasable closure of the other housing member toreleasably engage the first and second housing members to obtain theclosed and open positions. Accordingly, although it is desirable forboth the first and second housing members to be protected against shockand/or heat, only one housing member, such as the housing member thatcontains a cosmetic-related object requiring protection, need bedesigned with shock absorption and/or thermal protection.

FIG. 4 illustrates the protected cosmetic container 10 with optionalexterior and interior coverings or skins 78 and 79, respectively, theprotected cosmetic container being illustrated in FIG. 4 without thecosmetic-related objects installed in the wells for the sake ofsimplicity. An exterior covering 78 may be provided over either or bothof the exterior lid face and the exterior base face, and FIG. 4illustrates exterior coverings 78 provided over both the exterior lidmember 24 and the exterior base member 32, respectively. The hinge 20may remain uncovered by exterior coverings 78, or may be covered byexterior coverings 78 as shown in dotted lines at 83. In this instance,the exterior coverings 78 for the lid and base are connected by aconnecting flap 83 extending over hinge 20 exteriorly such that theexterior coverings are formed as a one-piece member. It should beunderstood that the connecting flap of the exterior coverings 78 maythusly be used to impart structural reinforcement to the hinge 20. Theexterior coverings 78 are attached to the exterior lid and/or basemembers, such as by being laminated to the exterior lid and/or basemembers using adhesives and/or various bonding techniques.

An interior covering 79 may be provided over either or both of theinterior lid face and the interior base face. FIG. 4 illustratesinterior coverings 79, which are similar to exterior coverings 78,provided over both the interior lid member 22 and the interior basemember 30, respectively, except for wells 36. Accordingly, the interiorcoverings 79 include cut-outs or openings 81 for the wells, the cut-outs81 each including an edge circumscribing the corresponding well. Theinterior coverings 79 may extend along the entire or less than theentire interior surface areas of the interior lid member and/or theinterior base member. The interior coverings 79 may cover the bottomsand/or sides of the wells as shown for the protected cosmetic containerof FIG. 6, and may or may not include cut-outs for the rim 58 and/orshoulder 64. Where magnets 54′ and magnetically attractable material 56′are provided as closures, the interior coverings 79 may have cut-outs oropenings for the closures 54′, 56′ or any other closures provided in oron the interior lid and base faces. The interior coverings may beconnected by a connecting flap extending over the hinge interiorly, andthis flap may be used to impart structural reinforcement to the hinge asdescribed above for the connecting flap of the exterior coverings.Accordingly, as described above for the exterior coverings, the interiorcoverings may also be formed as a one-piece member. The interiorcoverings 79 are attached to the interior lid and/or base members, suchas by being laminated to the interior lid and/or base members.

The exterior and interior coverings or skins 78 and 79 may be made ofdurable, tear-resistant fabric or film, preferably of minimal thickness.The exterior and interior coverings may be water or moisture-resistantand/or stain-resistant. The exterior and interior coverings may be madeof elastic or stretchable material or inelastic or non-stretchablematerial. Either or both of the exterior and interior coverings may becolored, tinted and/or textured for decorative appearance and/or tofacilitate grasping or provide a distinctive feel. Either or both of theexterior and interior coverings may comprise multiple layers ofcovering, such as multiple layers of fabric or film disposed one on topof the other. The exterior and/or interior coverings may be made of acushioning or shock absorbing material and/or a thermally resistantinsulant, and the thermally resistant insulant may comprise a coldnessretaining material. The exterior and/or interior coverings may be madefrom one or more layers of nylon, vinyl, polyurethane, rubber, such asfoam rubber and neoprene, and multi-layer or multi-ply fabrics includingopen weave, quilted and padded fabrics, for example.

A protruding finger tab 80 may be provided along the periphery of lid 16diametrically opposite the hinge 20. Finger tab 80 visually andtactilely identifies the optimal location at which the lid 16 may bemanually engaged by a finger or fingers of the user for movement of thelid between the closed and open positions. The finger tab 80 may beconstructed as part of the interior lid member 22, the exterior lidmember 24, the exterior covering 78 for the lid, the interior covering79 for the lid, and/or as a separate component. In the illustratedembodiment, the finger tab 80 is formed as part of the interior lidmember 22. As another example, the finger tab is a separate componentinserted and glued between the interior and exterior lid members.Alternatively or in addition to the finger tab, a finger indentation maybe provided in base 18 as described below.

Another protected cosmetic container according to the present inventionis illustrated at 110 in FIG. 5. The protected cosmetic container 110 isillustrated as a hinged cosmetic container or compact but may bedesigned as a non-hinged cosmetic container, not including a hinge, sothat the lid 116 and the base 118 are disconnected parts as shown indotted lines and as described below for protected cosmetic container910. The lid 116 and base 118 of protected cosmetic container 110 aremade in their entireties as solid or substantially solid bodies,respectively, of a shock absorbing material 131 and/or a thermallyresistant insulant 129. Preferably, the solid shock absorbing materialis a non-cellular material that is of solid consistency throughout andis devoid of open cells or interstices in its structural composition. Inthe case of protected cosmetic container 110, the solid bodies of shockabsorbing material 131 and the solid bodies of thermally resistantinsulant 129 are preferably a non-cellular gel material. However, thesolid bodies of shock absorbing material 131 could be made of polyvinylrubber, vinyl or silicone of non-cellular composition. The gel materialused for the solid bodies of shock absorbing material 131 may be, butdoes not have to be, a thermally resistant insulant. However, since thethermally resistant insulant 129 is made of gel material, it providesprotection from shocks as well as heat. Accordingly, solid bodies of gelmaterial can be used to obtain a protected cosmetic container that isprotected against shock or that is protected against both shock andheat. It should be appreciated, therefore, that the solid bodies ofshock absorbing material 131 and the solid bodies of thermally resistantinsulant 129 can be one and the same material.

A typical gel material for protected cosmetic container 110 is aviscoelastic elastomer formulated using long chain polyols andplasticizers, the plasticizers being non-reacting and causing a verysoft feel. The plasticizer content is typically very high, to the pointof exution. The gel material may be considered a colloid in which thedisperse phase is combined with the continuous phase to obtain anon-cellular product ranging from a soft gum drop consistency to aviscous jelly-like consistency. Regardless of consistency, the gelmaterial consistently bounces or springs back to its original shapeafter being deformed, has high tear strength and impact resistance, andis lightweight. Since the gel material is non-cellular, i.e. withoutopen cells, it does not lose its original elasticity or spring whensubjected to repeated deformations caused by shocks. A typical gelmaterial is “self-healing”, is resistant to moisture absorption, ismoisture insensitive during handling, is non-foaming, does not containMOCA, MDA or TDI, is easy to use and cures at room temperature. Pigmentscan be added to the gel material for desired coloration. The gelmaterial may be characterized as having a hardness in the range of 0-55on the Shore 00 scale to 0-17 on the Shore A scale, but the hardnessselected for the gel material may be one step above liquid inconsistency. In some cases, the gel material may have a somewhat stickyfeel. A representative gel material for the protected cosmetic container110 includes a two-part or three-part thermoset elastomeric polyurethanegel formed by mixing two or more liquids and then curing the mixture.Illustrative gel materials for the solid bodies of shock absorbingmaterial 131 include Flabbercast curative polyurethane gel, TC410 A/B-Cadjustable hardness soft polyurethane elastomer of BJB Enterprises, Inc.and silicone gel. Illustrative gel materials for the solid bodies ofthermally resistant insulant 129 are the gel materials described abovefor thermally resistant insulant 29. The gel material may be molded orcast, such as by injection molding, to form one piece bodies of shockabsorbing material 131 and/or thermally resistant insulant 129. However,the bodies of shock absorbing material and/or thermally resistantinsulant could each be cut, shaped or stamped in one piece from a blockof the gel material.

Interior faces of lid 116 and base 118, respectively, are formed withwells 136 for receiving mirror 140, retainer 142 and trays 152containing cosmetics 114 as described above for protected cosmeticcontainer 10. The hinge 120 for protected cosmetic container 110 issimilar to hinge 20 and may be reinforced, as necessary, in any suitablemanner for increased strength. The protected cosmetic container 110 issealed in the closed position via rim 158 on lid 116 and shoulder 164 onbase 118 as described above. Of course, it should be understood that therim can be provided on the base and that the shoulder can be provided onthe lid in a simple reversal of parts. A pair of magnets 154′ areprovided in base 116 between the shoulder 164 and the circular areacontaining trays 152. Magnets 154′ are spaced about 180 degrees fromeach other, with each magnet spaced about 90 degrees from hinge 120.Magnetically attractable material 156′ is provided in lid 116 atlocations corresponding to magnets 154′. The magnetic attraction betweenmagnets 154′ and magnetically attractable material 156′ is sufficientlystrong to retain the lid 116 in the closed position, and the magnets andmagnetically attractable material thusly serve as releasable closuresfor the protected cosmetic container 110. Where only one of the firsthousing member or lid 116 and the second housing member or base 118contains a cosmetic or other cosmetic-related object requiring shockabsorption and/or thermal protection, the housing member that containsthe cosmetic or other object requiring shock absorption and/or thermalprotection may be made of the gel material while the housing member thatdoes not contain any cosmetic-related objects requiring shock absorptionand/or thermal protection may be designed without shock absorptionand/or thermal protection.

The protected cosmetic container 110 can be provided with or withoutexterior and/or interior coverings, which may be the same as theexterior and interior coverings described above. Where the protectedcosmetic container 110 is provided without exterior coverings and thegel material has a sticky, adhesive type surface or feel, the bodies ofshock absorbing material 131 and/or thermally resistant insulant 129 canbe used to promote firm grasping by a user during handling and use ofprotected cosmetic container 110 and to inhibit displacement ofprotected cosmetic container 110 from a location at which it isdeliberately situated. In this manner, the cosmetic container is lesslikely to slip from the hands of a user and/or slide off of a surfaceupon which it is placed. FIG. 6 shows the lid 116 and base 118 ofcosmetic container 110 optionally covered on the outside with exteriorcoverings 178, respectively, and on the inside with interior coverings179, respectively. The protected cosmetic container 110 is shown in FIG.6 without the cosmetic-related objects installed in wells 136 for thesake of simplicity. Exterior coverings 178 and interior coverings 179are similar to exterior and interior coverings 78 and 79, except thatexterior coverings 178 are interconnected by connecting flap 183 andinterior coverings 179 are also interconnected by a connecting flap 185.The connecting flaps 183 and 185 cover hinge 120 exteriorly andinteriorly, respectively, and serve as structural reenforcement for thehinge. Also, the interior coverings 179 do not include cut-outs forwells 136 but, rather, cover the bottom walls 137 and the side walls 139of the wells. The exterior covering 178 for lid 116 is embossed toprovide a decorative appearance and to facilitate grasping.

The lid 116 and base 118 for protected cosmetic container 110 areprovided without interior lid and base members, respectively, but can beprovided with interior lid and base members, similar to interior lid andbase members 22 and 30, as described above for protected cosmeticcontainer 10 and as described below for protected cosmetic containers610 and 710. Where the protected cosmetic container 110 is provided withinterior lid and base members, the lid 116 and the base 118 can stilloptionally be provided with exterior and/or interior coverings, with theinterior coverings disposed over the interior lid and base members asdescribed for interior coverings 79. Where the lid and base of cosmeticcontainer 110 are provided without interior lid and base members andexterior and interior coverings, the lid and base are each made in theirentirety of shock absorbing material and/or thermally resistantinsulant. Where either the lid or base includes an interior member, anexterior covering and/or an interior covering, it is still madesubstantially entirely of shock absorbing material and/or thermallyresistant insulant.

The gel material from which bodies of shock absorbing material 131and/or thermally resistant insulant 129 are formed is illustrative of ashock absorbing material and/or a thermally resistant insulant withsufficient elasticity to removably or non-removably retain objects inthe wells 136. By way of example, the well 136′ corresponding to mirror140 can be made slightly smaller in peripheral size than mirror 140.When the mirror 140 is installed in well 136′, the peripheral size ofwell 136′ is enlarged by the mirror 140, as shown in dotted lines inFIG. 5, due to the elasticity of the shock absorbing material 131 and/orthermally resistant insulant 129 forming lid 116. The elasticity of theshock absorbing material 131 and/or the thermally resistant insulant 129of lid 116 causes the side walls of well 136′ to exert a compressiveforce on the mirror 140 to removably or non-removably retain the mirrorin the well 136′. It should be appreciated, therefore, that the wells ofthe protected cosmetic containers disclosed herein can be made ofcompressible and/or elastomeric shock absorbing material and/orcompressible and/or elastomeric thermally resistant material, and/or canbe lined with compressible and/or elastomeric shock absorbing materialand/or compressible and/or elastomeric thermally resistant materialcapable of retaining cosmetic-related objects in the wells.Representative liners for the wells of the protected cosmetic containersare described further below. Where the shock absorbing material and/orthermally resistant material is used to removably or non-removablyretain objects in the wells, extraneous securing devices, such as glue,magnets, Velcro and the like, are not needed but can still be providedfor redundant retention. The initial peripheral sizes of the wellsand/or the compressibility and/or elasticity of the shock absorbingmaterial and/or the thermally resistant material can be selected toachieve a snug fit or a tight fit between the wells and the objectsinstalled therein, with snug fitting objects being removable from thewells and tight fitting objects being essentially non-removable.

It should also be appreciated that the wells can be made of acompressible and/or elastomeric material and/or can be lined with acompressible and/or elastomeric material of sufficient compressibilityand/or elasticity such that an individual well can accommodate objectsof various shapes and/or sizes. In the above example for shock absorbingmaterial 131 and thermally resistant insulant 129, well 136′ canaccommodate either mirror 140 or a mirror 140′, shown in dotted lines,having a larger peripheral size than mirror 140. When mirror 140′ isinstalled in well 136′, the peripheral size of well 136′ is enlarged agreater amount than for mirror 140, as permitted by the deformabilityand elasticity of shock absorbing of material 131 and/or thermallyresistant insulant 129.

An additional protected cosmetic container according to the presentinvention is illustrated at 210 in FIG. 7. The protected cosmeticcontainer 210 is shown as a hinged cosmetic container or compact;however, the cosmetic container 210 can be designed without hinge 220 toform a non-hinged protected cosmetic container in which the lid 216 andthe base 218 are separate, disconnected parts as shown in dotted lines.Protected cosmetic container 210 is similar to protected cosmeticcontainer 110 except that the lid 216 and base 218 for protectedcosmetic container 210 are made in their entireties of solid bodies,respectively, of shock absorbing material 231 that is a natural orsynthetic compressible and/or elastomeric rubber, such as silicone orpolyurethane rubber, of sufficient rigidity so that the lid 216 and thebase 218 are independently geometrically stable even when no contentsare installed therein as shown in FIG. 7. The lid 216 and the base 218each have a predetermined geometric configuration, and thesepredetermined geometric configurations are maintained by the solidbodies of shock absorbing material 231 independently, i.e. withoutregard to the contents or other extraneous structural componentsinstalled in the protected cosmetic container 210, even when theprotected cosmetic container 210 is handled during normal use. In otherwords, the bodies of shock absorbing material 231 are in and ofthemselves capable of maintaining their predetermined geometricconfigurations. Although the lid and base are resiliently deformable toabsorb shocks, the predetermined geometric configurations are restoredand maintained by the solid bodies of shock absorbing material 231independently and in the absence of extraneous structure.

Interior faces of lid 216 and base 218, respectively, are formed withwells 236 for receiving mirror 240, retainer 242 and trays 252containing cosmetics 214 as described above for protected cosmeticcontainers 10 and 110. The hinge 220 for protected cosmetic container210 is a mechanical hinge including a pin extending through mating lidand base protrusions. The lid and base protrusions can be formedintegrally, unitarily with the lid 216 and base 218, respectively, or asseparate components attached to the lid and base. The lid and base ofthe protected cosmetic container 210 are releasably or removably engagedor retained in the closed position, and the interior of the housing issealed in the closed position via a rim 258 and a shoulder 264. Rim 258and shoulder 264 are similar to rim 58 and shoulder 64, except that therim 258 is disposed on base 218 and the shoulder 264 is disposed on lid216. Cooperatively engageable and releasable Velcro closures 254′ and256′ are provided on lid 216 and base 218, respectively, for redundantprotection to maintain the lid 216 in the closed position. Cooperativelyengageable and releasable Velcro securing devices 254 and 256 areprovided on base 218 and trays 252, respectively, to removably securethe trays within the wells 236. Rather than being provided with a fingertab, the protected cosmetic container 210 has a finger indentation 290along the front of base 218 at a location diametrically opposite thehinge 220. As described above for protected cosmetic containers 10 and110 and as described below for protected cosmetic container 910, onlythe housing member that contains a cosmetic or other cosmetic-relatedobject requiring protection need be designed with such protection suchthat only one of the lid 216 and base 218 need be made as a body of theshock absorbing material 231.

FIG. 7 illustrates the housing for protected cosmetic container 210 inthe open position, but without the mirror 240, the retainer 242 and thetrays 252 installed therein. When no contents are installed in thehousing as shown in FIG. 7, the housing nonetheless independentlyretains its geometric or dimensional stability, except for the bendingthat occurs at hinge 220. Although the rubber from which the lid 216 andthe base 218 are made provides shock absorption protection for thehousing as well as its contents, the housing is still sufficiently rigidand geometrically stable that the protected cosmetic container 210 canbe used in a normal, routine manner with some or all of the contents notinstalled therein.

Where only one of the lid 216 and base 218 is made from shock absorbingmaterial 231, the other of the lid 216 and base 218 can be made ofanother geometrically stable material. A user can remove any or all ofthe contents from the lid 216 and/or the base 218 and continue using theprotected cosmetic container 210 in a normal, routine manner, since thelid 216 and the base 218 each independently maintain their externalgeometric configurations. Most typically, a user will remove one or moretrays 252 that may be empty or sufficiently depleted of cosmetics 214.Even though replacement trays of cosmetics may not immediately beavailable to the user, the user can continue using the protectedcosmetic container 210 with the one or more trays removed, without thehousing uncontrollably flexing or behaving in a manner inconsistent withnormal use. Accordingly, the user can continue using the protectedcosmetic container 210 for the mirror 240, for the applicator 244,and/or for any remaining trays 252 containing a sufficient quantity ofcosmetics. The rubber shock absorbing material 231 is furtherrepresentative of a shock absorbing material that may itself be used toretain objects in wells 236 and/or to accommodate different sized and/orshaped objects in wells 236, as described above for protected cosmeticcontainer 110.

Although the lid 216 and base 218 for protected cosmetic container 210are shown without interior lid and base members, respectively, such thatthe lid and base are each made in their entirety of shock absorbingmaterial 231 it should be appreciated that the lid 216 and base 218 canbe provided with interior lid and base members, similar to interior lidand base members 22 and 30, as described above for protected cosmeticcontainer 10 and as explained below for protected cosmetic containers610 and 710. Regardless of whether or not the lid 216 and base 218 areprovided with interior lid and base members, the lid 216 and base 218may be provided with exterior and/or interior coverings as describedabove. Where either the lid 216 or base 218 has an interior member, aninterior covering and/or an exterior covering, it is still madesubstantially entirely of the shock absorbing material 231.

A further alternative protected cosmetic container according to thepresent invention is illustrated at 310 in FIG. 8. Protected cosmeticcontainer 310 includes lid 316 and base 318 formed entirely orsubstantially entirely from a first material which is a shock absorbingmaterial 331 a and/or thermally resistant insulant 329 a; however, thelid 316 and base 318 could define cavities supplied with thermallyresistant insulant and/or a material forming shock absorbing bodies ofmaterial as described for protected cosmetic container 10. Protectedcosmetic container 310 is similar to the protected cosmetic containersas previously described except that wells 336 for protected cosmeticcontainer 310 have attached linings made from a second material which isa compressible and/or elastomeric material the same as or different fromthe first material. The second material is shown as a shock absorbingmaterial 331 b, the material 331 b being different than the material 331a and/or insulant 329 a. For example, the shock absorbing material 331 acan be the same as shock absorbing material 231 to provide independentdimensional stability to the housing 312, while the shock absorbingmaterial 331 b can be of greater elasticity and/or compressibility thanshock absorbing material 331 a to provide an increased cushioning effectaround the objects 340, 342 and 352 installed in the wells 336. Thesecond material is provided in the form of a liner 392 for each well336. Each liner 392 has a bottom wall and/or one or more side walls ofsuitable thickness covering the bottom and/or side walls of thecorresponding wells 336. By selecting the appropriate thickness,compressibility and/or elasticity for the liners 392, the wells 336 canbe adapted to removably or non-removably retain the objects in wells 336and/or accommodate objects of various sizes and/or shapes in wells 336as described above. The liners 392 can be permanently or removablyinstalled in the wells. The liners 392 may thusly be used for cushioningobjects installed in the wells, for removably or non-removably retainingobjects in the wells and/or for adapting the wells to accommodateobjects of various sizes and/or shapes.

A protective shield according to the present invention is illustrated at411 in FIGS. 9-11. The protective shield 411 is illustrated as a hingedshield including housing 412 defining a shield lid 416 pivotallyconnected to a shield base 418 by a hinge 420. The shield lid 416 ispivotable around hinge 420, allowing lid 416 to be moved between an openshield position shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, and a closed shield positionshown in FIG. 11. The shield 411 could, however, be designed withouthinge 420 so that the shield lid 416 and the shield base 418 areseparate, disconnected parts as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 9. Housing412 is formed integrally, unitarily as a one-piece, shaped, distensiblemembrane 413 enclosing a distensible interior or cavity in the nature ofa bladder. Where the shield lid and the shield base are formed asseparate, disconnected parts, each of the shield lid and the shield baseis formed integrally, unitarily as a one-piece, shaped, distensiblemembrane enclosing a distensible cavity. The membrane 413 has aninterior face 484 and an exterior face 486 connected to one another inoverlying relation along hinge 420 to form a bendable flap at hinge 20.Hinge 20 thusly divides the membrane 413 into shield lid 416 and shieldbase 418 containing separate shield lid and shield base cavities 426 and434, respectively. However, the hinge 420 could be formed with a hingecavity connecting the lid and base cavities as described for protectedcosmetic container 10. The lid and base cavities 426 and 434, which areshown in FIG. 11, are each supplied with a thermally resistant insulant429 and/or a material forming a shock absorbing body of material 428such that the shield lid and shield base are each made substantially intheir entireties of a shock absorbing body of material and/or athermally resistant insulant as described above for protected cosmeticcontainer 10.

The membrane 413 is shaped such that a lid recess 415 is defined in lid416 by the interior face 484 of membrane 413 when the lid cavity 426 issupplied with the material forming shock absorbing body of material 428and/or the thermally resistant insulant 429. The membrane 413 is alsoshaped such that a base recess 417 is defined in base 418 by theinterior face 484 of membrane 413 when the base cavity 434 is suppliedwith the thermally resistant insulant 429 and/or the material formingshock absorbing body of material 428. Of course, the interior face 484can be provided with or can be formed as interior shield lid and basemembers, similar to the interior lid and base members 22 and 30, withthe lid and base recesses 415 and 417 defined in the interior shield lidand shield base members, respectively. It should be understood that theprotective shield 411 can be designed in a manner similar to protectedcosmetic container 10 with the shield lid 416 and the shield base 418designed in the same manner as lid 16 and base 18 to include interiorshield lid and shield base members connected to exterior shield lid andshield base members, respectively, to define the lid and base cavities.Conversely, the protected cosmetic container 10 can be designed in amanner similar to protective shield 411 with the lid 16 and base 18together or individually comprising a one-piece distensible membrane asdescribed above for shield lid 416 and shield base 418, with themembrane being shaped to define the wells 36. Also, the shield lid andshield base can include exterior and/or interior coverings as describedfor the protected cosmetic containers.

The lid and base recesses 415 and 417 are adapted to receive a lid 493and a base 495, respectively, of an industry-standard cosmetic container496 in which the lid is removably associated with the base to obtainopen and closed positions for the cosmetic container. Cosmetic container496 is a conventional hinged cosmetic container depicted as anindustry-standard cosmetic compact in which the lid 493 is pivotallyconnected to the base 495 by a hinge 497. The lid and base recesses maycorrespond in size and shape to the size and shape of lid 493 and base495, respectively, or may be deformable to accommodate the lid and baseas discussed above for the wells of the protected cosmetic containers.The lid and base recesses may be provided with securing devices forremovably or non-removably retaining the lid and base of the cosmeticcontainer in the lid and base recesses, respectively, and the securingdevices may be provided as separate components or parts or may be formedintegrally, unitarily with the interior shield lid and base faces. Thesecuring devices of the protective shield may comprise any one or moreof the securing devices described herein for the protective cosmeticcontainers. The interior faces of the shield lid and shield base are infacing relation in the closed shield position such that the interior ofthe protective shield is enclosed and are in non-facing relation in theopen shield position such that the interior of the protective shield isexposed as described above for the protected cosmetic containers. Theprotective shield may be provided with a seal for sealing the interiorof the protective shield in the closed shield position as describedherein for the protected cosmetic containers. A representative seal forthe protective shield 411 may include a rim and shoulder, similar to rim58 and shoulder 64, provided on the shield lid 416 and shield base 418,respectively, or vice versa. The rim and shoulder may be formed byappropriately shaping the interior face 484 of membrane 413. The rim andshoulder may also be formed on the interior shield lid and base members,where provided, as described for the interior lid and base members 22and 30.

The peripheral configuration for the shield lid and shield base can bethe same as or different from the peripheral configuration of thecosmetic container lid and base. For example, a square shaped protectiveshield can have recesses for accepting a circular shaped cosmeticcontainer. The lid and base recesses can be located in the shield lid416 and shield base 418 in centered or offset or non-centered locationsdepending on the hinge structure of the cosmetic container and/or therange of pivotal movement required for the cosmetic container lid tomove between the open and closed cosmetic container positions. Theshield lid 416 may be provided with a finger tab 480 along the frontthereof diametrically opposite hinge 420. FIG. 9 illustrates the shieldlid and shield base with Velcro closures 454′ and 456′ provided on theinterior shield lid and base faces, respectively, diametrically oppositehinge 420. FIG. 10 illustrates Velcro closures 454′ and 456′ on theinterior shield lid and base faces, respectively, at 90 degree spacedlocations from hinge 420. It should be appreciated, however, thatclosures are not required for the protective shield since the protectiveshield can be maintained in the closed shield position by virtue of thecosmetic container being maintained in the closed cosmetic containerposition due to its own closures or other cosmetic container structure.Like the protected cosmetic containers, the exterior surfaces of theprotective shield may be smooth, buffed, grooved, embossed, textured orfinished in any other manner depending on desired appearance and/orfunctionality. Also, a non-hinged protective shield in which the shieldlid 416 and the shield base 418 are separate, disconnected parts notconnected by a hinge may be assembled with a hinged industry-standardcosmetic container, such as cosmetic container 496, in the same manneras described below for assembly of hinged industry-standard cosmeticcontainer 496 with hinged protective shield 411. Furthermore, the hingedshield 411 may be used with some non-hinged industry-standard cosmeticcontainers.

The industry-standard cosmetic container 496 is of a type conventionallysold and marketed by cosmetic suppliers with cosmetics and, optionally,other cosmetic related objects such as mirrors, applicators and the likeinstalled therein. The lid 493 and base 495 are typically made of rigidmaterials, such as plastic or metal, which provide little or no shockabsorption protection for the housing of cosmetic container 496 and/orfor the cosmetics and other contents contained therein. In addition, thelid 493 and base 495 are typically made of materials which are good heatconductors and which do not retain coldness well, such that thecontents, particularly the cosmetics, are not protected from thermaldamage since ambient heat is readily conducted to the interior of thehousing. The industry-standard cosmetic container 496 may be installedin protective shield 411 and provided for sale as a protectedindustry-standard cosmetic container assembly 498 shown in FIGS. 10 and11. Alternatively, the protective shield 411 may be provided for salewithout an industry-standard cosmetic container installed therein, asshown in FIG. 9, in which case the protective shield may be sold andpurchased as an accessory for industry-standard cosmetic containers.When the protective shield is purchased by a user as an accessory for anindustry-standard cosmetic container, the user may install theindustry-standard cosmetic container in the protective shield to formthe protected industry-standard cosmetic container assembly 498.

In order to assemble protective shield 411 to the industry-standardcosmetic container 496 to form protected industry-standard cosmeticcontainer assembly 498, the lid 493 and base 495 of industry-standardcosmetic container 496 are secured in the lid and base recesses 415 and417, respectively, of protective shield 411 as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11.For the sake of simplicity, the cosmetic container 496 is not shown incross-section in FIG. 11. The lid 493 and base 495 may be removably ornon-removably secured in the lid and base recesses, respectively, invarious ways. The lid 493 and base 495 may be permanently secured in thelid and base recesses 415 and 417 by glueing, for example.Compressibility and/or elasticity of the shock absorbing body ofmaterial 428 and/or the thermally resistant insulant 429 may itself beused to removably or non-removably retain the lid and base of thecosmetic container in the lid and base recesses of the protective shieldin the same manner as described above for retention of objects in thewells of the protected cosmetic containers. In addition, the lid andbase recesses 415 and 417 of an individual protective shield mayaccommodate cosmetic container lids and bases of various sizes andconfigurations in the same manner as described above for accommodationof various sized and shaped objects in the wells of the protectedcosmetic containers.

When the industry-standard cosmetic container 496 is installed inprotective shield 411, the lid 493 and base 495 are exteriorly coveredand protected by protective shield 411, and it is desirable for theexteriors of the lid and base to be entirely or substantially entirelycovered by the protective shield. The protective shield 411 can be movedfrom the open shield position shown in FIG. 10, in which the cosmeticcontainer 496 is correspondingly in its open position, to the closedshield position shown in FIG. 11, in which the cosmetic container iscorrespondingly in its closed position. The shield is moved between theopen and closed shield positions in the same manner as described abovefor the hinged protected cosmetic containers, and the lid 493 of thecosmetic container 496 secured within the protective shield 411 iscorrespondingly moved with the shield lid 416. In particular, thecosmetic container 496 is moved to its open position by pivoting shieldlid 416 to the open position for the protective shield, as facilitatedby finger tab 480. When shield lid 416 is pivoted to the open position,the lid 493 of cosmetic container 496 is also pivoted to obtain the openposition for cosmetic container 496. When the shield lid 416 is pivotedto the closed shield position, the lid 493 of the cosmetic container isalso pivoted to the closed position as a result of the shield lidmovement. It will be seen from the foregoing that the cosmetic container496 is used in its normal, routine manner when installed in theprotective shield, and that operation of the protective shield to openand close the cosmetic container 496 is basically the same as operationof the cosmetic container itself.

In some cases, the industry-standard cosmetic container itself may needto be directly engaged by the user in order to obtain the open cosmeticcontainer position. As an example, direct engagement of theindustry-standard cosmetic container may be necessary where the cosmeticcontainer is provided with a releasable closure or other structurerequiring significant force to remove the cosmetic container lid fromthe cosmetic container base. It should be appreciated, therefore, thatthe protective shield 411 can be modified, such as with a notch orrecess 487 shown in dotted lines in FIG. 10, to allow direct contact orengagement by the user with the industry-standard cosmetic container sothat the lid 493 may be directly engaged and moved from the closedcosmetic container position to the open cosmetic container position withthe shield lid 416 correspondingly moving therewith. As can be seen inFIG. 10, the recess 487 allows a front grasping portion 489 of thecosmetic container to be directly engaged by one or more fingers of theuser.

The peripheral edges of the shield lid 416 and the shield base 418 areclose to or in alignment with one another in the closed position to forma smooth, even junction 435 along the exterior of housing 412. Since theperipheral edges of lid 416 and base 418 are close to or in abutmentwith one another in the closed position, the protective shield 411envelops the cosmetic container 496 in its entirety or substantially inits entirety. Where the lid and base of the protective shield areprovided with shock absorbing bodies of material 428 or with a thermallyresistant insulant 429 which also forms shock absorbing bodies ofmaterial, the lid and base of the protective shield are compressibleand/or elastically deformable so that the protective shield protects thehousing of the cosmetic container as well as its contents from damagedue to shocks, thereby extending the life of the cosmetic container andits contents. The protective shield itself is also protected againststructural damage. Where the lid and base of the protective shield areprovided with thermally resistant insulant 429 or with shock absorbingbodies of material 428 which are also a thermally resistant insulant,the housing of the cosmetic container as well as its contents areprotected from thermal damage. The thermally resistant insulant 429 mayinclude a coldness retaining material, which may be activated asdescribed above for cosmetic container 10. The shield lid and shieldbase are of sufficient cross-sectional thickness to provide the desiredshock absorption and/or thermal protection. Where the cosmetic containeris removably installed in the protective shield, the cosmetic containercan be removed and the protective shield can be reused by installinganother industry-standard cosmetic container therein. The protectiveshield is lightweight and does not add appreciably to the weight of thecosmetic container.

An alternative protective shield according to the present invention isillustrated at 511 in FIG. 12. The protective shield 511 is shown with ahinged industry-standard cosmetic container 596 installed therein toform a protected industry-standard cosmetic container assembly 598.Protective shield 511 is shown as a hinged protective shield but couldbe a non-hinged protective shield not including hinge 520 as describedand shown for protective shield 411. The protective shield 511 issimilar to protective shield 411 except that the lid 516 and base 518for protective shield 511 are formed in their entireties, respectively,of shock absorbing material 531 and/or thermally resistant insulant 529having interior faces defining the lid and base recesses receiving thelid 593 and base 595, respectively, of cosmetic container 596. The shockabsorbing material 531 and thermally resistant insulant 529 may be solidbodies; and, accordingly, protective shield 511 may be designed in amanner similar to protected cosmetic containers 110 and 210. Shockabsorbing material 531 can be any solid or non-solid compressible and/orelastomeric shock absorbing material including the shock absorbingmaterials described above for the protected cosmetic containers and thepadded, cushioned or shock absorbing materials described above for theexterior and interior coverings. The shock absorbing material 531 canalso be a thermally resistant insulant. The thermally resistant insulant529 can be any solid or non-solid thermally resistant insulant includingthe thermally resistant insulants described above. The thermallyresistant insulant 529 can also form bodies of shock absorbing materialin the lid 516 and base 518. The hinge 520 for protective shield 511 canbe formed integrally, unitarily with the shield lid and shield base oras a separate component. The shield lid 516 and shield base 518 may beprovided with interior lid and base members, respectively, similar tointerior lid and base members 22 and 30 but with wells defining the lidand base recesses, respectively. The protective shield 511 may becovered on the outside with exterior coverings and/or on the inside withinterior coverings as described above for the protected cosmeticcontainers. Where the shield lid 516 or the shield base 518 is providedwith an interior member, an interior covering and/or an exteriorcovering, it is made substantially in its entirety of shock absorbingmaterial and/or thermally resistant insulant.

FIG. 13 depicts an alternative and particularly preferred protectedcosmetic container 610 according to the present invention. Protectedcosmetic container 610 includes lid 616 and base 618 hingedly connectedto lid 616; however, the hinge can be eliminated so that the lid 616 andbase 618 are separate, disconnected parts as shown in dotted lines forinterior lid and base members 622 and 630. Lid 616 includes interior lidmember, face or wall 622, an exterior lid member, face or wall 624 and ashock absorbing material 631 and/or thermally resistant insulant 629encased or encapsulated between the interior and exterior lid members sothat the lid is substantially entirely made of shock absorbing materialand/or thermally resistant insulant. Base 618 similarly includesinterior base member, face or wall 630, an exterior base member, face orwall 632 and a shock absorbing material 631 and/or thermally resistantinsulant 629 encased or encapsulated between the interior and exteriorbase members such that the base is made of shock absorbing materialand/or thermally resistant insulant substantially in its entirety. Theinterior lid and base members 622 and 630 are similar to the interiorlid and base members 22 and 30 and are molded plastic members connectedby hinge 620 which, as pointed out above, can be eliminated as shown bydotted lines for a non-hinged cosmetic container. The hinge 620 is shownas a mechanical hinge similar to hinge 220, but may be formed in itsentirety integrally, unitarily with the interior lid and base members622 and 630 as described above for the interior lid and base members 22and 30. The exterior lid and base members 624 and 632 are similar toexterior coverings 78. Depending on how the cosmetic container 610 ismanufactured and assembled, the shock absorbing material 631 and/orthermally resistant insulant 629 can be solid, fluidic, non-solid orsemi-solid. The shock absorbing material 631 and/or the thermallyresistant insulant 629 are shown in FIG. 13 as constituting solid bodiesfor the lid 616 and base 618, respectively. The shock absorbing material631 and/or thermally resistant insulant 629 may comprise a gel asdescribed for shock absorbing material 131 and thermally resistantinsulant 129. The shock absorbing material 631 could comprisecompressible and/or elastomeric rubber as described for shock absorbingmaterial 231. The shock absorbing material 631 could include silicone,cotton, batting, vinyl, multi-layer or multi-ply fabrics such as openweave, quilted and padded or cushioned fabrics, and/or any othercompressible and/or elastomeric material capable of resilientlydeforming or compressing to absorb shocks. The bodies of shock absorbingmaterial 631 and/or thermally resistant insulant 629 have recesses 675therein for accommodating the wells 636 which depend or protrudedownwardly from the interior surfaces 638 of the interior lid and basemembers 622 and 630, respectively. Accordingly, each well 636 of theinterior lid member 622 has a corresponding recess 675 in the body ofshock absorbing material 631 and/or thermally resistant insulant 629 forlid 616, and each well 636 of the interior base member 630 has acorresponding recess 675 in the body of shock absorbing material 631and/or thermally resistant insulant 629 for base 618. The body of shockabsorbing material and/or thermally resistant insulant for each of thelid 616 and base 618 is shown as one piece. However, since the bodies ofshock absorbing material and/or thermally resistant insulant are eachencased between interior and exterior members, each body of shockabsorbing material and/or thermally resistant insulant may include aplurality of individual pieces of shock absorbing material and/orthermally resistant insulant.

When the protected cosmetic container 610 is fully assembled, theperipheral edges of the interior and exterior lid members 622 and 624meet or abut one another and/or are connected to one another to encaseor encapsulate the shock absorbing material 631 and/or thermallyresistant insulant 629 in its entirety therebetween. Similarly, theperipheral edges of the interior and exterior base members 630 and 632meet or abut one another and/or are connected to one another to encaseor encapsulate shock absorbing material 631 and/or thermally resistantinsulant 629 in its entirety therebetween. The interior lid and basemembers may be provided with interior coverings as discussed above, andthe exterior lid and base members may be provided with exteriorcoverings as also discussed above. Where only one of the first housingmember or lid 616 and the second housing member or base 618 contains acosmetic or other cosmetic-related object to be protected from shocksand/or thermal damage, the housing member containing the cosmetic orother cosmetic-related object to be protected may comprise the body ofshock absorbing material 631 and/or thermally resistant insulant 629encased between the exterior and interior members while the otherhousing member can be of generally conventional design as describedabove for the protected cosmetic containers.

The lid 616 and base 618 can each be initially formed as three separatecomponents, i.e. interior lid/base member, body of shock absorbingmaterial and/or thermally resistant insulant, and exterior lid/basemember, assembled to one another during the manufacturing process.However, to simplify the number of manufacturing steps required, eitheror both of the interior and exterior members for the lid and base can beattached to the shock absorbing material and/or thermally resistantinsulant as part of the manufacturing process. For example, the exteriorlid member 624 can be placed in a mold for lid 616, and the shockabsorbing material and/or thermally resistant insulant can be suppliedto the mold as a fluid or semi-solid. As the shock absorbing materialand/or thermally resistant insulant cures, it becomes bonded to theexterior lid member 624 as part of the molding process. Depending on themolding process and equipment, the interior lid member 622 canalternatively or additionally be bonded to the shock absorbing materialand/or thermally resistant insulant as part of the molding process. Ofcourse, the base 618 can be manufactured in the same manner as the lid.

The interior lid and base members 622 and 630 differ from the interiorlid and base members 22 and 30 in that a releasable locking closure isprovided on the interior lid and base members 622 and 630 and includes alocking finger or detent 665 on the interior lid member 622 and alocking aperture or notch 667 in the interior base member 630. Thelocking finger 665 is formed integrally, unitarily with the interior lidmember 622 and protrudes interiorly from the interior surface 638 ofinterior lid member 622. The locking finger 665 is resilient so as todeflect and enter aperture 667 when the lid 616 is moved to the closedposition. The locking finger 665 has a hook-like end to lockingly engagewith the interior base member 630 when inserted in the aperture 667 tomaintain the lid in the closed position. The locking finger 665 isselectively releasable from the interior base member 630 by pulling upon the lid 616 to permit movement of the lid from the closed position tothe open position. The locking finger and aperture are located close tothe peripheral edges of the interior lid and base members 622 and 630,respectively, and are located at discrete locations diametricallyopposite hinge 620. In this way, the amount of interior space occupiedby the closure is minimized, thereby increasing the amount of interiorspace available for cosmetic related objects.

Protected cosmetic container 610 is also representative of a protectedcosmetic container in which the wells 636 have securing devicesintegrally, unitarily formed therewith for the cosmetic related objects.As seen for the oval shaped well of interior lid member 622, a securingdevice for applicator 644 includes opposing lips 673 protruding towardone another from opposite sides of the corresponding well. The lips 673are located at or near the top of the well and are capable ofresiliently deflecting to allow the applicator 644 to be inserted in andremoved from the well. When the applicator 644 is inserted in thecorresponding well, the protruding lips 673 block the mouth of the well,thereby confining the applicator to the well. Securing devices 671 fortrays 652 include a lip 673′ extending along the perimeter of thecorresponding well as shown in FIG. 13 for the well 636 from which thetray 652 has been removed. The lip 673′ protrudes at an angle from theside wall of the well and deflects to allow insertion of tray 652 in thewell. When the tray is inserted in the well, the lip 673′ exerts awedging force on the tray so that the tray is secured in place. Theforce exerted on the tray by the lip 673′ can be forcefully overcome toallow removal of the tray from the well, with the lip 673′ resilientlydeflecting to permit such removal. Of course, the lip 673′ may bedesigned to exert a sufficiently strong force on the tray so that thetray is in effect non-removable.

FIG. 14 illustrates an alternative protected cosmetic container 710,similar to protected cosmetic container 610, except that the bodies ofshock absorbing material 731 and/or thermally resistant insulant 729 forlid 716 and base 718, respectively, each have a single recess 775 foraccommodating a plurality of wells 736 of the interior lid and basemembers 722 and 730, respectively. The interior lid and base members 722and 730 are different from the interior lid and base members 622 and 630in that the interior lid and base members 722 and 730 each have aninterior surface 738, an exterior surface 741, which may be planar, aperipheral side wall 743 joining the interior and exterior surfaces anda plurality of wells 736 with mouths opening on interior surface 738.The recesses 775 in the bodies of shock absorbing material 731 and/orthermally resistant insulant 729 receive the wells of the interior lidand base members 622 and 630, respectively. Accordingly, only a singlerecess 775 needs to be provided in each body of shock absorbing materialand/or thermally resistant insulant to accommodate interior lid and basemembers that each have a plurality of wells. This arrangement may bedesirable for simplification of the manufacturing process.

An alternative protective shield according to the present invention isillustrated at 811 in FIG. 15. The shield 811 is representative of anon-hinged protective shield adapted to receive a non-hingedindustry-standard cosmetic container 896; however, the non-hingedprotective shield 811 could also be used with hinged industry-standardcosmetic containers. Cosmetic container 896 includes a lid 893 removablyassociated with a base 895 to obtain open and closed cosmetic containerpositions, the lid 893 and base 895 being separate and disconnectedparts that do not remain attached to one another in the open cosmeticcontainer position. The cosmetic container 896 is illustrated in theopen cosmetic container position in FIG. 15 with the lid 893 removedfrom the base 895 so that cosmetic 814 contained in the base is exposedand accessible. The cosmetic container 896 has a releasable closureshown as an internal thread on lid 893 for matingly engaging an externalthread on an open upper end or neck of base 895 for disposition of lid893 in a closed position for the cosmetic container. In the closedcosmetic container position, the lid 893 covers the open upper end ofthe base 895 and prevents access to the interior and, therefore, thecontents of the container. The lid may be removably disposed on orassociated with the base in many other ways including press fit or snapengagements with the base.

The protective shield 811 includes a shield lid 816 and a shield base818 constructed in a manner similar to the lid and base of protectedcosmetic container 610, except that the shield lid 816 and shield base818 are separate, disconnected parts that do not remain connected orattached to one another in the open shield position. It should beappreciated, however, that the shield lid 816 and shield base 818 may beconnected to one another, for example by a tether, to prevent undesiredseparation or loss of parts. Shield lid 816 includes interior shield lidmember, face or wall 822, exterior shield lid member, face or wall 824and shock absorbing material 831 and/or thermally resistant insulant 829encased or encapsulated between the interior and exterior shield lidmembers. Shield base 818 similarly includes interior shield base member,face or wall 830, exterior shield base member, face or wall 832 andshock absorbing material 831 and/or thermally resistant insulant 829encased or encapsulated between the interior and exterior shield basemembers. The shock absorbing material 831 and/or thermally resistantinsulant 829 for the shield lid and shield base are shown as but do nothave to be solid bodies, respectively. The interior shield lid member822, which is similar to interior lid member 22, has a well defining alid recess 815 therein for receiving lid 893 of cosmetic container 896.The interior shield base member 830, which is similar to interior basemember 30, has a well defining a base recess 817 therein for receivingbase 895 of cosmetic container 896. The lid 893 and base 895 may beremovably or non-removably installed in the lid and base recesses 815and 817, respectively, as discussed above for shield 411. The interiorshield lid and base members 822 and 830 may be provided with securingdevices for removably or non-removably securing the lid 893 and base 895in the lid and base recesses, respectively, and the securing devices maybe formed integrally, unitarily with the interior shield lid and basemembers or as separate components. The bodies of shock absorbingmaterial 831 and/or thermally resistant insulant 829 have recesses 875therein, respectively, for receiving the lid and base recesses 815 and817, respectively, of the interior shield lid and base members 822 and830. When the shield lid 816 and shield base 818 are assembled, theshock absorbing material and/or thermally resistant insulant is encasedor encapsulated between the interior and exterior shield lid and basemembers, respectively, as described for lid 616 and base 618.

Preferably, the exteriors of lid 893 and base 895 of cosmetic container896 are entirely or substantially entirely covered by the shield lid 816and shield base 818, respectively, when the cosmetic container 896 isassembled with the protective shield 811 to form a protectedindustry-standard cosmetic container assembly. In the case ofindustry-standard cosmetic container 896, the thread at the upper end ofbase 895 remains uncovered by the shield base 818 so that the lid 893may be engaged with the base 895 to obtain the closed position for thecosmetic container. The protective shield 811 does not interfere withnormal use and operation of the cosmetic container 896 in that the lid893 may be rotated or screwed on and off of the base 895 in the normalmanner of use while the lid 893 and base 895 remain disposed in theshield lid 816 and shield base 818, respectively.

Another protected cosmetic container according to the present inventionis illustrated at 910 in FIG. 16 and is representative of a non-hingedprotected cosmetic container in which the lid 916 and the base 918 areseparate and disconnected parts that do not remain connected or attachedto one another in the open position for the protected cosmeticcontainer. The lid 916 and base 918 are constructed in a manner similarto the lid and base of protected cosmetic container 610 as well as thelid and base of protective shield 811. Lid 916 includes interior lidmember 922, exterior lid member 924 and shock absorbing material 931and/or thermally resistant instant 929 encased or encapsulated betweenthe interior and exterior lid members. Base 918 includes interior basemember 930, exterior base member 932 and shock absorbing material 931and/or thermally resistant insulant 929 encased or encapsulated betweenthe interior and exterior base members. The shock absorbing material 931and/or thermally resistant insulant 929 are shown as constituting solidbodies for the lid 916 and the base 918, respectively, but need notconstitute solid bodies. Interior lid member 922 is similar to interiorlid member 22 except that interior lid member 922 has a single well 936with an internal thread 959 at an interior end of the well. The well forlid 916 may be without any cosmetic related objects, or may have one ormore cosmetic-related objects, such as mirror 940, installed therein.The well 936 of interior lid member 922 may be empty when no cosmeticrelated objects are installed therein; and, depending on the design ofthe closure used to secure the lid 916 on base 918 in the closedposition, the well 936 in the interior lid member 922 may be eliminated.Interior base member 930 is similar to interior base member 30 exceptthat interior base member 930 has a single well 936 containing acosmetic 914 supplied directly to the well without being disposed in atray. Also, interior base member 930 has an upwardly protruding neckcarrying an external thread 961 for cooperatively engaging the internalthread 959 to form a releasable closure for removably securing the lid916 on the base 918 in the closed position. Of course, various closurescan be used in the protected cosmetic container 910 including the rimand shoulder, magnets, and Velcro closures disclosed herein, and the lid916 can be removably secured on the base 918 with a press fit, afriction fit, a snap fit, a rotatable engagement, etc. When the lid 916is disposed on the base 918 in the closed position, the peripheral edgesof the lid and base preferably meet or are in abutment to form a smooth,even junction along the exterior of the protected cosmetic container.The bodies of shock absorbing material 931 and/or thermally resistantinsulant 929 may be the same as the bodies of shock absorbing materialdescribed above. Alternatively, the interior lid and base members can beassembled to the exterior lid and base members, respectively, to encloselid and base cavities for being supplied with a material forming shockabsorbing bodies of material 928 and/or thermally resistant insulant 929as shown in dotted lines and as described above for protected cosmeticcontainer 10. As explained above, the lid could be designed in agenerally conventional manner without shock absorption and/or thermalprotection, as represented by lid 916′, since only the base 918 containsa cosmetic-related object to be protected.

The structure, features and principles disclosed herein for theprotected cosmetic containers may be embodied in any hinged ornon-hinged protected cosmetic container having a lid removablyassociated with a base. The structure, features and principles disclosedherein for the protected cosmetic containers may be embodied in any ofthe protective shields. The structure, features and principles disclosedherein for the protective shields may be embodied in any of theprotected cosmetic containers. The protected cosmetic containers andprotective shields are resiliently compressible and/or deformable toabsorb shocks and/or are resistant to conduction of ambient heat totheir interiors to provide thermal protection therefor. The protectedcosmetic containers and protective shields can be provided with orwithout various closures, sealing devices and/or securing devices formedas separate components or formed integrally, unitarily with theprotected cosmetic containers and protective shields. The functions ofclosure and sealing can be performed by the same part or structure or bydifferent parts or structures. The closures, sealing devices andsecuring devices disclosed herein can be used interchangeably in eitheror both of the protected cosmetic containers and protective shields ofthe present invention. The lids and bases of the protected cosmeticcontainers and protective shields may be structurally connected to oneanother, for example by hinges or tethers, or may be separate anddisconnected parts. Either or both of the lids and bases of theprotected cosmetic containers and protective shields may be providedwith or without a corresponding interior lid member or interior basemember, respectively. Either or both of the lids and bases of theprotected cosmetic containers and protective shields may be providedwith or without interior (internal) and/or exterior (external) coveringscomprising one or more layers. The internal and/or external coveringsmay be designed to provide shock absorption and/or thermal protection.The various features disclosed herein can be used interchangeably in thevarious protected cosmetic containers and shields. The protectiveshields can be constructed in any of the manners disclosed herein forthe protected cosmetic containers, and vice versa. Protective shields inwhich the lids and bases are structurally connected may be used withindustry-standard cosmetic containers in which the lids and bases arestructurally connected or are separate and disconnected parts.Protective shields in which the lids and bases are separate,disconnected parts may be used with industry-standard cosmeticcontainers in which the lids and bases are structurally connected or areseparate and disconnected parts. In the protected cosmetic containersaccording to the present invention, one or more cosmetic-relatedobjects, such as cosmetics, can be disposed in either or both the lidsand bases. The cosmetics may be supplied to the wells of the protectedcosmetic containers directly, or may be supplied to trays installed inthe wells. Depending on the design of the protected cosmetic containersand/or the cosmetic-related objects or objects to be installed therein,either or both of the lids and bases can be designed with shockabsorption and/or thermal protection. Where the lids and bases are bothdesigned with shock absorption and/or thermal protection, the lids andbases can be designed with different types or forms of shock absorptionand/or thermal protection. As an example, the lids may be designed asbladders containing shock absorbing bodies of material and/or athermally resistant insulant while the bases are made of solid bodies ofshock absorbing material and/or thermally resistant insulant. Lids notdesigned with shock absorption and/or thermal protection may be designedin a generally conventional manner to removably or releasably engagewith shock absorbing and/or thermally protected bases. Similarly, basesnot designed with shock absorption and/or thermal protection may bedesigned in a generally conventional manner to removably or releasablyengage with shock absorbing and/or thermally protected lids.

The lids and/or bases of the cosmetic containers and/or shields are madeentirely or substantially entirely of a shock absorbing material, athermally resistant insulant and/or a material forming a shock absorbingbody of material. Where the lids and/or bases of the cosmetic containersand/or shields are constructed as a bladder defining a cavity for beingsupplied with a thermally resistant insulant and/or a material forming ashock absorbing body of material, the insulant and/or material may begaseous, non-gaseous, fluidic or non-fluidic in an initial state whensupplied to the cavity from externally thereof. Subsequent to beingsupplied to the cavity, the insulant and/or material may remain in thesame state as the initial state or may assume another state, for exampleby curing, which may be different from the initial state. Subsequent tobeing supplied to the cavity, the insulant and/or material may begaseous, non-gaseous, fluidic, non-fluidic, flowable, non-flowable,solid or semi-solid. Where the lids and/or bases of the cosmeticcontainers and/or shields are made in their entireties of shockabsorbing material and/or thermally resistant insulant, the materialand/or insulant constitutes a non-flowing body. Lids and/or basesconstituting non-flowing bodies of material and/or insulant may beprovided with interior members, interior coverings and/or exteriorcoverings while still being comprised substantially entirely of thematerial and/or insulant. Where the lids and/or bases of the cosmeticcontainers and/or shields comprise a shock absorbing material and/orthermally resistant insulant encapsulated between interior and exteriormembers, the material and/or insulant may be fluidic, non-fluidic,non-solid, solid or semi-solid, for example.

Inasmuch as the present invention is subject to many variations,modifications and changes in detail, it is intended that all subjectmatter discussed above or shown in the accompanying drawings beinterpreted as illustrative only and not be taken in a limiting sense.

1-45. (canceled)
 46. A protective shield for an industry-standardcosmetic container having a lid removably associated with a base toobtain closed and open cosmetic container positions, said protectiveshield comprising a shield lid having an interior shield lid face, arecess in said interior shield lid face for receiving the lid of theindustry-standard cosmetic container, said shield lid being resilientlydeformable to absorb shocks; and a shield base having an interior shieldbase face, a recess in said interior shield base face for receiving thebase of the industry-standard cosmetic container, said shield base beingresiliently deformable to absorb shocks.
 47. The protective shield asrecited in claim 46 wherein said shield lid further includes an exteriorshield lid face connected to said interior shield lid face to define ashield lid cavity therebetween, said shield base further includes anexterior shield base face connected to said interior shield base face todefine a shield base cavity therebetween, and further including a shockabsorbing body of material in each of said shield lid cavity and saidshield base cavity.
 48. The protective shield as recited in claim 46wherein said shield lid and said shield base are made at leastsubstantially in their entireties as solid bodies of shock absorbingmaterial, respectively.
 49. The protective shield as recited in claim 46wherein said shield lid further includes an exterior shield lid face anda shock absorbing material encased between said interior shield lid faceand said exterior shield lid face, said shield base further includes anexterior shield base face and a shock absorbing material encased betweensaid interior shield base face and said exterior shield base face.
 50. Aprotective shield for an industry-standard cosmetic container having alid removably associated with a base to obtain closed and open cosmeticcontainer positions, said protective shield comprising a housingcomprising a shield lid and a shield base, said shield lid having aninterior shield lid face and a recess in said interior shield lid facefor receiving the lid of the industry-standard cosmetic container, saidshield base having an interior shield base face and a recess in saidinterior shield base face for receiving the base of theindustry-standard cosmetic container, said housing comprising athermally resistant insulant disposed about the cosmetic container whenthe lid and base of the cosmetic container are received in said shieldlid and said shield base, respectively.
 51. A protectedindustry-standard cosmetic container assembly comprising a protectiveshield including a shield lid and a shield base, said shield lid havingan interior shield lid face and a lid recess in said interior shield lidface, said shield base having an interior shield base face and a baserecess in said interior shield base face; and an industry-standardcosmetic container having a lid engageable with a base to obtain aclosed cosmetic container position and being removable from said base toobtain an open cosmetic container position, said lid and said base beingin facing relation in said closed cosmetic container position and beingin non-facing relation in said open cosmetic container position, saidlid being received in said lid recess and said base being received insaid base recess, said lid being engageable with and removable from saidbase while said lid and said base are received in said shield lid andsaid shield base, respectively.
 52. The protected industry-standardcosmetic container assembly as recited in claim 51 wherein said lid ispivotally connected to said base and further including a hinge pivotallyconnecting said shield lid to said shield base for movement betweenclosed and open shield positions while said lid and said base arereceived therein, respectively, said interior shield lid face and saidinterior shield base face being in facing relation in said closed shieldposition and being in non-facing relation in said open shield position,said closed shield position corresponding to said closed cosmeticcontainer position, said open shield position corresponding to said opencosmetic container position.
 53. The protected industry-standardcosmetic container as recited in claim 51 wherein said shield isresiliently deformable to protect said cosmetic container from shocks.54. The protected industry-standard cosmetic container as recited inclaim 51 wherein said shield is resistant to thermal conduction toprotect said cosmetic container from the effects of heat.
 55. Theprotected industry-standard cosmetic container as recited in claim 51wherein said shield is resiliently deformable to protect said cosmeticcontainer from shocks and is resistant to thermal conduction to protectsaid cosmetic container from the effects of heat.